South Korean boy band ENHYPEN unveiled their seventh mini album, The Sin: Vanish, on January 16, 2026, kicking off a new vampire-themed series with an experimental narrative structure. The 11-track EP blends six new songs with narrated chapters and skits across multiple languages, emphasizing the group's longstanding mythology. Lead single 'Knife' highlights their matured sound and stage-ready energy.
ENHYPEN, the seven-member K-pop group consisting of Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-Ki, debuted in 2020 through the I-Land competition series. Their latest release, The Sin: Vanish, marks the first installment in the anticipated The Sin series and expands their vampire lore into a 'mystery-show' format. Described as a serialized listening experience like a podcast, the EP features four narrated chapters in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese, a skit, and six original tracks, designed for sequential consumption to advance an immersive plot.
The album opens with 'The Beginning,' co-produced and co-written by Jake, featuring a booming narrator declaring, 'Fate, at times, leads us down a treacherous path from which there is no turning back. The story begins one night with a sudden disappearance of a couple.' This sets a cinematic tone, transitioning into hip-hop beats. Longtime producer ARMADILLO contributes to nearly every track, with additional input from Korean hip-hop legend GAEKO on lyrics for 'Knife' and indie-rock artist So!YoON! featuring on 'No Way Back.'
Lead single 'Knife,' produced by Grant Boutin, Connor McDonough, Riley McDonough, 'hitman' bang, and ARMADILLO, opens with its chant-like chorus: 'it's a knife!' The trap-forward track, with serrated synths, underscores themes of confidence and self-actualization, bridging ENHYPEN's evolution over nearly six years. Other standouts include the R&B 'Sleep Tight,' Jake's first self-composed group song with Heeseung's co-writing, and the alternative-R&B 'No Way Back,' where So!YoON!'s otherworldly vocals blend seamlessly with the members' falsettos.
Innovative elements extend beyond music: the skit 'The Voice' promotes a fictional vampire.live website, integrating transmedia with faux news articles and merchandise like plush keychains. BELIFT LAB described this as an 'experimental approach' that continues past the album. Tracks like 'Stealer' incorporate Latin rhythms and falsettos from Heeseung, Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon, while 'Big Girls Don't Cry' showcases minimalist production and mature vocals from Ni-Ki. Closing with 'The Beyond,' the EP hints at future installments: 'Like the slow dawn breaking across the horizon, what fate awaits them? The story begins to unfold in an entirely new direction.'
This release coincides with major drops from A$AP Rocky and Madison Beer, positioning The Sin: Vanish as a bold step in ENHYPEN's artistic growth.
