''Next Episode'' (stylized in

all caps In typography, text or font in all caps (short for "all capitals") contains capital letters without any lowercase letters. For example: All-caps text can be seen in legal documents, advertisements, newspaper headlines, and the titles on book co ...

) is the second extended play (EP) by South Korean brother-sister duo

AKMU AKMU (; ), formerly Akdong Musician (; ), is a South Korean duo consisting of siblings Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun signed to YG Entertainment. As prominent figures of South Korea, their musical impact in their native country has earned them ...

. It was released digitally on July 26, 2021, and physically on July 27, through

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and conce ...

. The EP marks the duo's first album release in nearly two years, since ''

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'' in September 2019. Described as a "collaboration album", it comprises seven songs, with each track featuring a different artist. "Nakka" serves as the lead single for the album.

Background and release

South Korean brother-sister duo

released the

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"Happening" on November 16, 2020. In a press release for the song member

Lee Chan-hyuk Lee Chan-hyuk (; born September 12, 1996), is a South Korean singer-songwriter, producer and author. He debuted as a member of the sibling duo AKMU in April 2014, under YG Entertainment. Life and career 1996–2013: Early life Lee Chan-hyuk w ...

hinted that it was a potential prelude to their next full-length album. On June 27, 2021, South Korean news outlet ''Hankyung'' reported that the duo would be making a comeback in July, and had begun filming their new music video. On the same day, their agency

confirmed that they were in the middle of filming a music video for a new track. On July 12, the release of AKMU's new album titled ''Next Episode'' was announced for July 26. On July 14, the EP's track listing was published, confirming a total of seven tracks with seven different featured artists. The track list highlighted "Nakka" () featuring IU as the title track; other featuring artists included Lee Sun-hee,

Zion.T Kim Hae-sol (; born April 13, 1989), known professionally as Zion.T (), is a South Korean hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter. He has released 2 studio albums, ''Red Light'' (2013) and ''Zip'' (2023), as well as 3 EPs. He has also been featured ...

Beenzino Lim Sung-bin (; born September 12, 1987), better known by the stage name Beenzino (빈지노), is a South Korean rapper. Beenzino first gained popularity through the duo Jazzyfact, which he formed with Shimmy Twice in 2008. And he made his f ...

Choi Jung-hoon Choi Jung-hoon (; born March 10, 1992) is a South Korean musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, primary songwriter, and record producer of the indie rock band Jannabi. Early life and education Choi ...

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

, and

Sam Kim Sam Kim () is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and guitarist based in South Korea. He signed to Antenna Music after finishing as the runner-up on the talent show ''K-pop Star 3'' in 2014. He made his official debut on April 10, 2016, wit ...

. Two days later, a video trailer for the EP was released, with YG Entertainment announcing that each track on the album would be accompanied by its own music video.

Critical reception

Ruby C from the British magazine ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' gave the EP a five-star rating out of five, and said, "Much like a mountainous expedition, there are always risks that come with collaborating with others, but those in 'Next Episode' work for the better: each track brings out the strengths of the collaborators, while still effective in showcasing Su-hyun's flawless, pristine vocals and Chan-hyuk's adept lyrical storytelling." Tamar Herman, writing for ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...

'', said that " tween the captivating musicality and the lyrics' compelling themes", the album is "worth listening to again and again."

Commercial performance

EP's lead single "Nakka" debuted at number three on

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based on ...

for the week ending July 31, 2021. The following week, "Nakka" rose to the number one spot, becoming the duo's seventh number one single on the chart. It debuted at number 16 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' K-pop 100, and peaked at number one for the chart issued on August 14; and remained atop for four consecutive weeks.

Accolades

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from YG Select. *

– vocals **

– vocals , lyrics , composition **

Lee Su-hyun Lee Su-hyun (; born May 4, 1999), is a South Korean singer. Following her appearance on the SBS audition program ''K-pop Star 2'' alongside her brother Lee Chan-hyuk, she debuted as the vocalist of the sibling duo AKMU on April 7, 2014, under ...

– vocals *

– vocals , lyrics , chorus * Koo Bon-am – bass *

– vocals * Lim Heon-il – acoustic guitar , electric guitar * Lee Hyun-young – composition , arrangement , keyboard , synthesizer * IU – vocals * Park Jae-bum – drum , percussion * Park Jong-woo (PJnotreble) – bass * Jukjae – composition , arrangement , acoustic guitar , electric guitar , bass , drum * Yoon Jun-hyun - synthesizer *

– vocals * Millennium – composition , arrangement , drum , synthesizer , programming , sampling and editing , bass , keyboard , effects , percussion * Peejay – composition , arrangement , drum , keyboard , percussion , chorus *

– vocals * Kim Seung-hyun (Shyun) – electric guitar * Sihwang – composition , arrangement , electric guitar , electric bass , synthesizer * Chung Soo-wan – electric guitar * Lee Sun-hee – vocals *

– vocals

Charts

Sales

Release history

Notes

References

{{AKMU 2021 EPs AKMU albums Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums YG Entertainment EPs