K-pop Group CLOSE YOUR EYES Explore New Musical Instincts With ‘256th Note’

CLOSE YOUR EYES have spent the months since their debut figuring out what it means for seven individual performers to move as one. Formed through PROJECT7, JEON MINWOOK, MA JINGXIANG, JANG YEOJUN, KIM SUNGMIN, SONG SEUNGHO, KENSHIN, and SEO KYOUNGBAE released their first mini-album, ETERNALT, in April 2025, earning a music-show win just nine days later. Subsequent releases Snowy Summer and blackout continued to build out their catalog, but they also gave the members something equally important: more time to understand one another creatively and develop the instincts that come with working as a group.

That growing familiarity can be found at the center of 256th Note, their fourth mini-album, released September 30. Working with creative director and executive producer Lee Haein, CLOSE YOUR EYES now draws inspiration from jazz improvisation, where individual choices can reshape the direction of a shared performance in real time. The album title carries that idea into its thematic framework, using the fleeting duration of a musical note to represent feelings that appear before there is enough time to fully process or define them.

Across seven tracks, the group explores that concept through a varied set of sounds without losing the sense of identity between them. “Open Your Eyes,” featuring contributions from pianist Yohan Kim and saxophonist Jacob Scesney, introduces the album through a meeting of jazz and hip-hop that carries into “Drop That!” The focus track also reinterprets Yoon Si-nae’s “이 밤을 즐겁게” through a 1990s hip-hop influence, while “Vibe Check” keeps rhythm at the forefront with piano, bass, and drums driving its arrangement.

From there, the album moves into different emotional spaces. “Slowly Bleed” and “Fool For You” expand its range before Joo Hyerin joins the group on “Baby Bossa Nova,” leading into the closing ballad “Eternity.” The final track then turns directly toward their fans (CLOSER), with all seven members contributing lyrics to a message for their supporters. But above all, it’s an excellent conclusion for a project so interested in individuality existing within something collective.

Ahead of the group's latest release, we caught up with CLOSE YOUR EYES to discuss how that dynamic has evolved, what surprised them during the recording process, and what they hoped to express through 256th Note.

256th Note is your fourth mini-album since debuting in 2025. What’s the biggest change in how you work together in the studio compared with your first recordings?

JEON MINWOOK: I feel like the people I work with know me much better now, and I think we've been trying a lot of different things!

MA JINGXIANG: Because the genres on this album were especially varied, we were able to discover more of each other's strengths, and I feel that the way we communicate as a team has grown a lot too. We've done a lot of recording by now, and we've also practiced a lot outside of recording time, so I think our skills have really improved compared to the beginning!

JANG YEOJUN: Since I now take part in writing the lyrics myself and then record them, I feel more attached to the songs and have started to focus more on how the song is expressed!

KIM SUNGMIN: I think I've gotten faster at taking directions. When I first came into the studio, my own voice sounded so clear, and there was so much to pay attention to while recording that I was slow to absorb the direction. But as we've made frequent comebacks, I've gradually learned how to bring out the cool, so I take direction faster than before.

SONG SEUNGHO: At my first recording, I mostly tried to do exactly what the feedback told me. Now I first share my own opinions about the feeling I want to bring out or the pronunciation, and then record while receiving feedback. I think that's why each member's attractive tone stands out even more.

KENSHIN: When I first started recording, I was a bit shy about expressing my opinions and feelings. Now I think I've learned how to express myself more honestly, without hiding who I am.

SEO KYOUNGBAE: The biggest change in recording is that I used to just do whatever was requested, always busy and rushing without any breathing room. Now I actively bring in my own opinions along with the direction, and I try to get better quality results.

The album draws inspiration from jazz improvisation. Where did you have room to be spontaneous during recording, and did anything you tried in the moment make it into the finished songs?

JEON MINWOOK: I talk a lot with the director while recording. Sometimes, we even changed the lyrics on the spot in the studio together.

JANG YEOJUN: I tried to use the tone I pictured in my head to fit each part, and I think "Fool For You" captured that intention well!

What side of CLOSE YOUR EYES did you want “Drop That!” to introduce, and which moment in the song or choreography best captures it?

MA JINGXIANG: With "Drop That!", we wanted to show a freer, hipper side of ourselves. It's more relaxed and playful than what we've shown before, while still clearly bringing energy on stage. I think the part in the chorus where the choreography flows along with the rhythm captures that best. It's fun to feel the groove of the song and sync up with each other, so I think it shows our own vibe well!

SONG SEUNGHO: This time we wanted to show a hip and relaxed side. That's why I think the hook part captures it well. There's a lot we can express through facial expressions and choreography, so that's why I feel that way!

“Open Your Eyes” plays on your group’s name. What does the phrase mean within this album, and why did you choose that song to open it?

KIM SUNGMIN: "Open Your Eyes" is the opposite of our group name, "CLOSE YOUR EYES," but I think it ultimately carries the same message. We wanted to go one step further than closing our eyes and feeling the music, and ask you to look together with us at the new sides and stories we're seeing now. We chose "Open Your Eyes" as the first track because it expresses the genre of jazz with more depth and conveys the color of this album well.

KENSHIN: I think "Open Your Eyes" means we're showing a new side of CLOSE YOUR EYES that we haven't shown until now. We wanted CLOSERs to discover another charm in us, and since I think it's the song that opens the door to the album that's about to begin, we chose it as the first track.

Which track on 256th Note was furthest from what you usually listen to? Did working on it change what you enjoy about that style?

JEON MINWOOK: "Eternity"! Because our sincerity went into it, it became a song I love so much, regardless of my taste in genres.

MA JINGXIANG: I usually listen to a lot of hip-hop and R&B, so a genre like bossa nova, which I don't often come across. But while working ‘’Baby Bossa Nova’’ on it, I found the way of riding the rhythm and the relaxed atmosphere really attractive, and even after the recording ended, I naturally found myself listening to it. Discovering a new genre was itself the fun of this album.

JANG YEOJUN: "Open Your Eyes"! While preparing this album, I learned more about jazz, and I came to think it suits me well!

KIM SUNGMIN: "Drop That!" I usually listen to a lot of quiet or groovy music, so I was very surprised at first because this title track has a different mood. But there are so many fun elements packed into every part of the song, so I think I enjoyed listening to it.

SONG SEUNGHO: For "Vibe Check," when I first heard it, my biggest worry was how I should record it. The first verse has to be very relaxed, as if I'm talking, and since it wasn't a style I'd heard much, it was difficult at my first recording.

KENSHIN: I think "Eternity" is the furthest from what I usually listen to. I usually listen to music with a strong rhythm and energy, so it felt a bit different at first. But while working on it, I learned there's a charm in conveying emotion through lyrics and melody, and I think I've come to like this style of music too.

SEO KYOUNGBAE: I'd say "Vibe Check." I usually like slower music, so I didn't often listen to rhythmic music like "Vibe Check." But while preparing the album, I came to love it so much that I can call it my favorite song!

“Fool For You” draws on throwback R&B. Whose voice surprised you most on the track, and what made their performance stand out?

JEON MINWOOK: SEUNGHO! I like Seungho's tone. He raps and sings in a tone similar to how he speaks, so the lyrics come across well, and it's pleasant to listen to.

SEO KYOUNGBAE: I thought Yeojun's voice suits "Fool For You" the best. Yeojun is always sincere about love songs, and since there are so many elements of love in the lyrics, I think he was able to sing it in a way that really suited it!

All seven members contributed lyrics to “Eternity.” What did you each want to say to CLOSER, and how did you bring those thoughts together into one song?

MA JINGXIANG: All seven of us want to be with CLOSERs forever, and we want to tell them how precious they are to us. All seven of us also want to keep making lots and lots of good, happy, fun memories with CLOSERs!

JANG YEOJUN: Because we all shared the same feelings toward CLOSERs, we were able to bring them together into one song, and at the core, I wanted to include the message that I love them.

KIM SUNGMIN: I wanted to share the thought of what CLOSERs would think, and what message they'd give us, if they thought of CYE after growing old, whether 50 or 100 years from now. Each member also wrote the message they wanted to give CLOSERs, and I think we worked them into the lyrics so that they connect smoothly.

SONG SEUNGHO: From the very start of writing this song's lyrics, I wrote down what I wanted to say to CLOSERs, and personally I felt strongly that all the members wrote with the keyword "eternity" in mind.

KENSHIN: I wanted to express my gratitude and love to CLOSERs. Thanks to CLOSERs, I've been able to get through hard and exhausting moments, and I wanted to include my thankfulness for always cheering us on by our side.

SEO KYOUNGBAE: While writing the lyrics for track 7, "Eternity," I thought of it as a song of promise to CLOSERs, made with an earnest wish for eternity together. I wrote it as if I were really speaking to them, so it came out quickly, and I think I enjoyed writing it that much more!

Which song prompted the most discussion among the members? What different ideas did you have, and how did you decide what worked best?

JANG YEOJUN: I think we talked a lot when working on the "Eternity" lyrics, and we were all of one mind with the idea of putting in what we wanted to say to CLOSERs!

SONG SEUNGHO: "Open Your Eyes" was the one we talked about the most. Since jazz was a genre we were trying for the first time, I think we talked about how we could make this song our own, in CYE's own color.

Beyond the major milestones, what’s an everyday interaction with CLOSER that has stayed with you? Why does that memory matter to you?

JEON MINWOOK: CLOSERs' letters stay in my heart for a long time. I think a letter is the way sincerity comes across best.

MA JINGXIANG: Honestly, everything is so, so precious, and so many things left an impression on me that I can't pick a ranking. But thinking about it now, when we debuted and CLOSERs sang our fan chant from below the stage, I was so, so happy! I've always been happy during our time with CLOSERs, and we'll make even more happy memories later! CLOSERs are so, so precious to me!

JANG YEOJUN: I feel rewarded when I see CLOSERs gaining strength from seeing me, and CLOSERs say so many lovely things to me, and every time, they give me the strength to keep going! I think these memories become nourishment for me and precious memories!

KIM SUNGMIN: I often read the letters and fan letters CLOSERs send, and the messages they write for me stay in my memory. Recently, I received a letter that said something that warmed my heart a lot. I think these warm words from CLOSERs stay with me.

SONG SEUNGHO: I gained a lot of strength from seeing CLOSERs' faces as they laughed and had fun together with us at the concert. Just as I enjoy the stage, CLOSERs enjoying CYE's stage too will remain a precious memory for me for the rest of my life.

KENSHIN: What stays with me the most is when CLOSERs remember something I said a long time ago or a remark I made without thinking. In those moments, I think, "CLOSERs really listen to me and are really watching me," and I feel grateful and happy.

SEO KYOUNGBAE: Since we can't look at each other for a long time, being able to talk with each other through communication, even if small, is a truly precious memory that I always think about deeply.