Fresh off their highly successful commercial entrance into the music scene earlier this year, the rookie boy group DAILY:DIRECTION has officially initiated the countdown for their first-ever comeback.
Under the management of their label, ODDWAVE, the six-member powerhouse group- consisting of members Jang Yun-seok, Im Ji-hwan, Kim Ju-hyung, Lee Won-woo, E-VAN (Lee Ban), and EN KIM (Anne Kim)- delighted global fans by sharing a surprise announcement across their official social media handles.
The group is slated to return to the spotlight with their highly anticipated second single album, titled ‘MONKEY MODE’, which is scheduled to land across all digital streaming platforms on July 13, 2026.
The announcement has sent shockwaves through online fan communities, particularly because it marks the group’s first structured return since their explosive debut in February 2026 with the single album ‘First:Delivery’ and its addictive, energetic title track ‘Roombadoomba’.
Having built a reputation for sharp choreography and charismatic stage presence during their music show promotions, the upcoming release is already being hailed as one of the most intriguing and unique concepts of the summer season.
A Bold Leap Forward After a Sensational Debut Chapter
DAILY:DIRECTION carries a deep and profound core philosophy rooted within their name itself, operating under the structural baseline that “daily choices accumulate to create each individual’s direction.”
Rather than following a predetermined, generic formula laid out by conventional industry standard models, the group positions the overarching story of forging its own distinct path through a continuous cycle of trial, error, and personal choice as its core narrative.
This philosophical framework was warmly embraced by international fans during their debut era, allowing the group to carve out a specialized niche as reliable storytellers of youth.
With the unveiling of ‘MONKEY MODE’, the members are looking to fundamentally expand upon this narrative while taking a massive sonic leap forward.
According to internal reports and teaser schedulers shared by ODDWAVE, the second single album will feature the highly anticipated title track ‘Down With It’.
Music insiders hint that the new title track will contrast significantly with the bright, playful rhythms of ‘Roombadoomba’, steering the group toward a heavily performance-driven, hard-hitting sound landscape designed to maximize their dance line’s capabilities.
To formally ignite the comeback engine, the group dropped a whimsical, kitschy logo trailer and an official teaser scheduler online, sending fans into an analytical frenzy.
The visual aesthetic of the rollout represents a severe departure from their debut’s corporate delivery motif, embracing a chaotic, graphic-heavy styling that heavily leans into retro arcade sensibilities, underground street culture, and vibrant cyberpunk overtones.
Revealing the Kitschy Aesthetics and Intricate Lore of ‘MONKEY MODE’
The mysterious nature of the teaser rollouts has stimulated the collective deductive abilities of the global fandom.
ODDWAVE began the preliminary tease by dropping a short, high-concept narrative video that many fans have labeled as a “teaser of a teaser.”
The brief clip features digitized, animated representations of the six members boarding a retro, neon-lit train headed toward an undisclosed location.
Hidden clues, mysterious symbols, and underlying numerical patterns are scattered throughout the frames, deeply connecting back to the expansive world-building elements that DAILY:DIRECTION introduced during their initial launch phase.
Addressing the high expectations and the sudden conceptual pivot toward an unpredictable, wild aesthetic, the members of DAILY:DIRECTION released a joint statement full of passion, conveying their mindset directly to their eager fanbase through their latest press briefing.
Reflecting on their artistic growth over the last five months and the intense training process behind the new single, the group stated:
“Through ‘MONKEY MODE’ and our title track ‘Down With It,’ we want to break out of our comfort zones completely and show a wilder, entirely unrestrained side of our identity.
We worked tirelessly to ensure that our choices on this album reflect the artistic direction we want to pursue, and we hope our fans enjoy navigating this chaotic new journey with us.”
With the official release date locked in for July 13, 2026, the upcoming promotional cycle is expected to feature a standard sequence of concept photo drops, individual visual films, track previews, and dual music video teasers distributed through YG PLUS distribution lines.
As a group containing prominent survival show veterans- including former members of NINE.i, B:MY BOYZ, and standout competitors from Boys Planet and Mirae- the collective expectations from the domestic and global audience remain incredibly high.
DAILY:DIRECTION has already proven they possess the raw talent to command the stage; now, with ‘MONKEY MODE,’ they are ready to prove they have the conceptual versatility to permanently cement their status as leaders of the newest generation of K-pop.
