GO Chapter 1 : GO Together isn’t just the start of a new era for CIX – it’s a moment of declaration. Released early September, the EP marks their eighth mini-album and follows a year of steady creative growth for the group. For years, CIX has been steadily building a mythology through their previous album series, HELLO and OK, drawing inspiration from Dante’s epic narrative poem Divine Comedy to explore descent, healing, and self-discovery. With this new EP, they finally step into Paradiso – not as saints, but as men who have survived their own trials and are ready to ascend. Musically, the album blends their signature band-driven pop sound with polished production, balancing high-energy hooks, sleek choreography-ready tracks, and softer, reflective melodies.

Across its four tracks, the mini-album traces that upward climb. It begins with “S.O.S,” a burst of high-energy urgency that feels like a rescue flare – and bold enough that multiple members swear it could’ve been the title. Then comes “Wonder You,” the true centerpiece: elegant, sophisticated, and what the members unanimously call “unmistakably CIX.” It threads addictive melody with lore-heavy lyrics, using sweetness as a gateway into something deeper. “UPSTANDER” flips a page in their universe, written as the conceptual opposite of their earlier track “Bystander,” turning passive sorrow into seductive defiance. Finally, “In My Dreams” softens the landing with a warm, reflective glow – the kind of track that feels built for the last song at a concert.

What stands out most when speaking to CIX is how earnestly they approach their concept. For them, “lore” isn’t a surface-level marketing hook, but a creative compass. BX, the group’s leader, describes the writing process for this album to KPOPWORLD as “eye-opening,” saying that reconnecting with their universe helped the group better understand their own purpose as artists. Instead of treating their story as something written about them, they now speak like the ones writing it themselves. That subtle shift — from performers inside a concept to architects building one — defines the maturity of this era.

Even the visual direction that sparked online buzz – the angel wings, the exposed silhouettes, the celestial teasers – is rooted in symbolism as much as spectacle. Maknae HYUNSUK explains that those choices were direct extensions of their “paradise” motif, meant to physically ground their Divine Comedy references rather than simply allude to them. Main vocalist SEUNGHUN elaborates that their bodies became part of the narrative — strengthened through intensive training so they could embody the themes rather than just pose beside them. It’s not fanservice; it’s more akin to method acting through devotion and discipline.

That intention also bleeds into their performance strategy. Vocalist YONGHEE recalls rejecting their initial choreography demo for lacking impact, insisting they seek stronger options — not because fans wouldn’t accept it, but because the public wouldn’t remember it. SEUNGHUN echoes this, saying their criteria for choreography comes down to two words: “eye-catching and memorable.” CIX doesn’t want polite applause — they want to leave a mark.

Their individuality shines even in how they define their “new charm.” HYUNSUK calls it “the sexiness of the mid-20s.” BX answers with a simple but confident “maturity.” SEUNGHUN points to their hands-on authorship as a turning point, while YONGHEE singles out their “beautiful vocals” as the clearest evolution. Taken together, it becomes clear: this isn’t a group reinventing themselves — it’s a group fully growing into the selves they always hinted at.

And yet, for all the ambition threaded into this chapter, there’s a softness in how they speak about FIX. When asked what fans should be “ready for” — echoing the opening line of “S.O.S,” “S-O-S, are you ready for me?” — BX doesn’t give an answer rooted in grandeur or expectation. Instead, he simply asks that they continue side by side with them. Not just cheering from a distance, but walking forward at their pace.

1. Congratulations on releasing GO Chapter 1 : GO Together. Looking back, what emotions have stayed with you since the release? Has the response felt different compared to your past projects?

HYUNSUK This album is focused on our universe's story, or CIX's lore, so far. There were a lot of concerns about how we were going to unfold this new chapter of the series and the universe’s story, but with help from all the staff from our company and the members as well, we were able to complete this nice album, to announce the beginning of our new album series. There were a lot of surprising or unexpected moments that our fans did not see coming with this album, but they were very pleasantly surprised. That was the reaction that we've been seeing from them. Also, we saw a lot of comments saying that they all loved not only the title track, but also the B-side tracks in this album too, so that really makes us happy and proud about this comeback.

2. BX, you previously said this comeback shows “a new charm.” How would each of you describe the specific new charm from your own perspective?

HYUNSUK I'll say the sexiness of the mid-20s.

BX I'll say maturity.

YONGHEE Beautiful vocals.

SEUNGHUN This involved a lot of our actual participation in the album, so that also counts as a new charm, I guess.

3. GO Together begins a new part of CIX’s ongoing story, while connecting to your previous works. How does it feel to connect the HELLO and OK albums in this way?

BX For us, we got to actually learn more about our universe’s story and we got to think a little bit more about how we can develop this story, as we are continuing this lore from the HELLO and the OK series that we released previously. So there were some new parts that gave us new realizations or new understandings about our own story, so that was a very eye opening experience. For me personally, through writing the lyrics and participating in this album, it made me realize once again about what our universe's story holds and what we want to tell through our story, so that actually raised my own anticipation for this album specifically.

4. All the other members were nodding along, so do you all agree with what BX is saying here?

All members We do.

5. While preparing GO Chapter 1, was there a moment in the studio or during practice that stood out to you as especially memorable?

YONGHEE I think the most focus that we gave, especially while preparing for this album, was selecting the choreography. We paid a lot of attention to that process, because when we first received our first choreography demo, we felt a little bit like it's maybe lacking a little bit – like, it's good, but we would need a little bit more. That's why we decided to get more demos from other teams, as well as incorporating our own ideas from the members too. So I think it was a collective process of us learning and discussing and growing even further as a group.

6. Is there something in particular that you look for in the choreography demos? You mentioned not being too impressed with the first version, so is there something in particular that you look for when you're preparing at that stage?

SEUNGHUN When we see our demos, the most focused area that we really look for would be eye catching and memorable. Those are the things that we really look for because, although our fans would love whatever we give because they already have so much love and support for a lot of the choices that we make, the general public need that big impact and that eye-catching moment that really makes them go back again and really focus on our music video. So, we thought it was very important to have those moments, and I think those are some things that we really look for when we are creating or collecting the ideas for the choreography.

7. The GO Together teasers — with angel wings and shirtless portraits — stood out and had not just FIX talking, but new audiences too. HYUNSUK previously mentioned those choices were extensions of your musical story. Can you share what those visuals mean for this chapter, and how they connect to the themes of CIX as artists?

HYUNSUK The choice of going shirtless and having the angel wings connects more directly to the theme of paradise from Dante's The Divine Comedy, which forms a lot of inspiration behind our universe story. With those specific items, I think it really helped us actually immerse ourselves into the visual concept and the themes that we wanted to really tell from this album. I think it added new layers of meanings behind the concept that we wanted to portray through this new album series and the album.

8. SEUNGHUN said he trained intensively with a coach for a month to prepare for the concept photos. What did the process of preparing for this comeback teach CIX about their capabilities as artists?

SEUNGHUN It's true, and all of us actually went through an intensive training period with the coach, and we exercised really hard for this comeback. Personally, I think it really added a nice touch to the maturity and that sexiness that we wanted to portray as of right now, as a group. We also thought that this decision could be really helpful to creating our unique color and telling a different narrative in our music because there is a little bit – not a lot, but at least a little bit – of a sexy vibe and the aura that goes into our music in order to convey what we want to really tell with the world. So, I think that kind of effort really allowed us to express more widely and more expressively and, in terms of the themes and the messages that we wanted to send across.

9. There’s also recurring angel imagery in this comeback – from Wonder You’s visuals and lyrics, and in the concept photos and artwork – which some also compared to the angel imagery in 458’s MV from OK : EPISODE 1 (2022). What do angels represent within CIX’s storytelling?

YONGHEE We took a lot of inspiration from – and our base motive for our universe story was – The Divine Comedy, and it really tells the journey from hell to paradise. Since this album specifically touches on the theme of paradise, that was the immediate inspiration that we drew on the imagery of angels. Please look forward to more stories that we are going to be unfolding using this imagery and the narrative in our future albums.

10. I also want to talk about “SOS”. The album opens very directly with the line, “S-O-S, are you ready for me?” Since this marks the start of a new chapter, what should FIX be “ready” for?

BX Our goal has always been just moving forward, keeping our eyes straight on the road. So I really want FIX to just stay with us, right next to us, just like they've always been, and to get ready with us and to keep moving forward with us. That is one thing that we really hope our FIX is ready for, and I just want to say I love them.

11. Next we have Wonder You, the title track. Since Wonder You is the centerpiece of this EP, what do you hope listeners will take away from seeing and hearing it — both on stage and within the album’s story?

BX We actually listened to “Wonder You” while we were preparing for this album along with “SOS” and we also thought “SOS” was another really cool, very strong contestant for the title track. But we ultimately decided that “Wonder You” is more fitting to CIX’s color and the style as well, so that's why this became the title track ultimately.

12. YONGHEE previously said that Wonder You “feels unmistakably CIX.” What do the members think makes the song feel that way, and what can new audiences learn about CIX’s ‘unmistakable’ artistry through this comeback?

YONGHEE So we've been working through a lot of title tracks so far, and there are some moments or parts that we just know instinctively that it is our title track. It is perfect and unmistakably fitting for our color and musicality. Something that we hope for the audience when they listen to it, the melody is quite addicting and it's very easy to listen to, but when they take a look at the lyrics, it's still connected to our universe’s story. Some people who just found out about us or who are new to us might have a little bit of a difficult time understanding what is behind it, but I really hope that this track gives them the opportunity to look for our previous releases and really try to figure out more about our universe story – and, just as the title says, wonder more about us. I think this track provides a good opportunity for them to do that – wonder more about CIX and get to know more about us.

13. Finally, if GO Chapter 1 is the beginning of a bigger journey, what do you hope FIX will take away from this starting point?

SEUNGHUN This is our second release as a quartet. For our first comeback as the quartet, our previous release before this, we practiced a lot and we poured a lot of effort into it because we didn't want to worry our fans. We wanted to assure them that we are here and we are still CIX and we are standing here. For this album specifically, we really wanted to compliment more the things that we saw as lacking in the last comeback, so we practiced even harder for this and we really wanted to present a good experience for our fans. So that is, I think, something that our fans can still look forward to and stand right next to us as well.