(Photo courtesy of THE MUZE ENTERTAINMENT)

[Hanteo News = Reporter JUNG JUNHWA] The girl group that has written the most dramatic reversal in this year’s music scene is taking on its first head-on match. RESCENE is the group in question.

 

According to its agency THE MUZE ENTERTAINMENT on the 22nd, RESCENE, consisting of WONI, LIV, MINAMI, MAY, and ZENA, will release its 4th mini album ‘PULSE’ on November 3. It comes about four months after the remake single ‘Pretty Girl’ in July, and marks the group’s first physical mini album in one year since its 3rd mini album ‘lip bomb,’ released last November.

 

In terms of a new song rather than a remake, it is their first in seven months since the digital single ‘Runaway’ in April. In that sense, this comeback is one of the most interesting tests in this fall’s music scene, as a team that became a trend through a chart reversal releases an original album that captures “RESCENE as they are now” for the first time.

 

The starting point came from outside the music. This spring, a scene from leader WONI’s personal YouTube channel, in which Japanese member MINAMI, dressed in gyaru styling, shouted “Geoje yaho” while referring to WONI’s hometown, spread through short-form platforms. Interest in the content then grew, and as the members’ various human sides were naturally revealed, the fan base became more diverse and solid.

 

According to Melon’s tally, the number of users who searched for RESCENE afterward increased about 66-fold. That interest soon moved to ‘LOVE ATTACK,’ the title track of the group’s 1st mini album ‘SCENEDROME,’ released in August 2024. The song rose to No. 1 on Melon TOP100 in July this year, about two years after its release, and even topped Melon’s monthly chart in August. It was a chart reversal on a scale rarely seen since Brave Girls’ ‘Rollin’’ in 2021. WONI’s channel surpassed 2 million subscribers, and the RESCENE members were each appointed as promotional ambassadors in their respective hometowns.

 

What is notable is that the chart reversal did not stop with one song. As of 2 PM on the 22nd, RESCENE had three songs in the Top 10 of Melon TOP100: ‘LOVE ATTACK’ at No. 2, ‘Deja Vu’ at No. 4, and ‘Pretty Girl’ at No. 6. The No. 4 ranking for ‘Deja Vu’ is one spot higher than the previously known peak of No. 5 from mid-month, while ‘Runaway’ is also sitting at No. 54.

 

With ‘Pretty Girl,’ a remake of KARA’s 2008 song, RESCENE won four music show trophies, including its first music show No. 1 since debut, and has collected a total of six music show trophies together with ‘LOVE ATTACK.’ The fact that not just a specific promotional track, but the team’s entire catalog is being consumed is proof that interest brought in through memes has spread into genuine affection for the music itself. This is also why evaluations have emerged that the easy-to-listen-to melodies, the members’ vocal tones, and their stable singing have captured that affection.

 

The first point to watch is, of course, the new song. The songs that currently represent RESCENE are all either past releases or remakes. While some view ‘LOVE ATTACK’ as a song that had been recognized for its quality from the time of its release, there are also comments that the group has not yet had a new song that can carry its name after the chart reversal. The title track of ‘PULSE’ must provide an answer between these two perspectives. Whether RESCENE will continue the easy-listening texture that the public has already come to like, or expand its territory in a new direction, is the key point to watch.

 

The second is the concept. RESCENE has placed scents at the forefront of every album. After the scents of grass, berries, and incense, the group took on the scent of grapefruit for ‘Pretty Girl.’ It has not yet been revealed what kind of scent and sound the title ‘PULSE,’ which means heartbeat, will lead to. The consistent device of scent can serve as a friendly entry point explaining the team’s worldview to the many new fans who have rapidly joined this year.

 

The third is albums. This album is the first physical album to be released after the chart reversal. RESCENE’s achievements this year have mostly come from digital music and broadcasts, and the group has not yet been tested in terms of physical album sales. Hanteo Chart’s initial chodong tally will be the first to show how much of the public goodwill confirmed through streaming has converted into fandom purchases. Given that this is a team that grew without a fan platform or large-scale promotions, that figure will also serve as an indicator of how far an idol group from a small to mid-sized agency can go.

 

The fourth is timing. RESCENE was included in the second lineup for MMA 2026, which will be held over two days for the first time at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on November 14 and 15. In other words, the group will stand on a year-end awards ceremony stage with its new song just 11 days after the comeback. For a team that filled the year through a chart reversal, being able to show a new song rather than a past track on a year-end stage is the biggest advantage of this comeback schedule.

 

Its industrial significance is also not small. THE MUZE ENTERTAINMENT is a newly established agency whose only group is RESCENE. After the chart reversal, the company’s corporate value is said to have been estimated at around KRW 60 billion, more than twice the level at the time of its investment attraction in April. This is because, in a market where major agencies operate fan platforms, in-house content, and global promotions as packaged systems backed by capital, RESCENE opened a breakthrough through content that kept alive the members’ speech patterns, regionality, and unpolished sense of entertainment.

 

There is also analysis that seemingly unproduced stories, such as videos of WONI jumping into the sea in her hometown Geoje and being warmly welcomed by local elders, or MINAMI visiting her alma mater in Japan, deepened affection for the team.

 

However, caution is also clearly present. In the age of algorithms, it is easy to be discovered, but just as easy to be forgotten. The narrative of “a miracle from a small agency idol group” has also already been consumed once. The general view among critics is that in order to hold on to interest brought in through short-form content and turn it into a core fan base, the only answer is ultimately to keep releasing good songs one after another. Considering that teams that rose to the top through chart reversals, such as EXID with ‘Up & Down’ and Brave Girls with ‘Rollin’,’ were always followed by questions about their next song, it is possible to guess the weight ‘PULSE’ carries.

 

RESCENE’s 2026 was a year of discovery. November 3 will be the day the discovered team asks for the first time what it can show on its own. It is rare for a girl group to release a new song while having three songs in the Top 10 of the chart. When the heartbeat of goodwill created by past songs continues into the new song, a chart reversal finally becomes a chart run.

 

joonamana@hanteo.com