Music

tripleS goes electronic on ‘Andless’ with KPop Demon Hunters writer Lindgren

Alice Lange
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tripleS has released “Andless”, a one-song single that puts all 24 members on a track written, composed and arranged by Lindgren, the producer behind “Takedown” from the soundtrack of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters. It is the middle chapter of the group’s LOVE&POP project, and the label pitches it as a powerful electronic-pop sound tripleS had not attempted until now.

YouTube video

The fans heard it before the streaming services did. tripleS closed the main set of the opening Seoul shows of its ANDLESS world tour with the new song, which shares its name with the tour, and Sports Kyunghyang called that first performance the highlight of the concerts. The release schedule was announced only after the shows ended. Three days after the official video went up on the group’s YouTube channel, it had passed 9.8 million views.

The title is a play on the project’s ampersand. Part one was “LOVE”, the planned third part is “POP”, and this single is meant as the “&” that joins them. The group says it picked the name because “and” is the word that connects people, and it wanted the song to stand for moments that never end and possibilities without a ceiling. It is a neat conceit for a group whose whole identity is addition: tripleS was built by adding members one at a time until it reached 24.

Bringing in the “Takedown” writer is the clearest signal in the release. KPop Demon Hunters is the animated film whose songs crossed over into Western charts, and “Takedown” is one of its signature songs. Handing a full-group track to that writer, with lyrics, composition and arrangement all in one set of hands, gives tripleS a sound with a ready-made international reference point just as it prepares to tour outside Korea. The rest of the rollout leans on the group’s usual machinery. tripleS runs on fan participation through its Cosmo app, where “Gravity” votes decide units and other choices; in Seoul, fans voted on stage outfits, unit stages and part of the encore.

The format is deliberately small. Part one was a seven-track EP that opened with “Sad Girls Schemin’” and carried “Baby Flower”, which later got a Japanese version and its own remix single. “Andless” is a single track that runs two minutes and 46 seconds. That makes it work less as a statement than as a bridge and a tour anthem, and the caveat is real: one song cannot show whether the electronic turn will shape the third part or stay a one-off. The label’s claim that the song proves a presence and potential with no end in sight stays marketing until that third chapter arrives.

The tour gives the song its first test abroad. After Seoul, tripleS plays Macau on October 24 and Tokyo on October 31, then opens a North American leg in Toronto on November 11, with stops in New York, Chicago, Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Vancouver.

“Andless” came out through MODHAUS on October 16 at 1 p.m. KST, a day after a teaser featuring all 24 members. The Seoul shows that premiered it took place on October 10 and 11 at Jangchung Arena, and the third LOVE&POP chapter has no confirmed release date yet.

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