&TEAM are back with their second EP, First Howling: WE, and this time they’re howling for that someone out there who shares the same feelings as them. They’ll appear before the group after running up against all the difficulties in this world they fought to escape from. With the release of WE, the magazine asked &TEAM about the explosive joy of “FIREWORK” and other songs they’d like to recommend.

​“FIREWORK” (&TEAM)

EJ: I hope people like how well the hard beat and our soft vocals work together. I personally really like how things heat up between the bridge and the last chorus. I feel almost overwhelmed with emotion whenever I hear that part.

FUMA: One of the lines I sing is, “The wet fuse, I’ll light it again.” It felt like it was a message to my past self, when I nearly gave up on my dream before, telling me it wasn’t over yet, and that was really comforting to me. I hope it’s a comforting song for LUNÉ too.

K: This song is the perfect refreshing fit for summer. The music and choreography are both trendy and energetic, and I think that’s its best selling point! I especially like the dance moves during the chorus. I hope our performance shows how energetic and quick we can move.

NICHOLAS: This song compares everything you feel when falling in love to fireworks. This is a great song to listen to anytime!

YUMA: This is an upbeat song that feels like it’s played by a rock band. I hope people pay close attention to our choreography and our facial expressions! LUNÉ who have already heard it will know what I’m talking about.

JO: There’s a rush of excitement throughout this song that compares the feeling of meeting someone to fireworks on a summer night. It’s a really uplifting song so I feel good when I listen to it. I like the part from, “Light me up like magic,” to, “Bang Bang, firework blooms in the sky.”

HARUA: I feel like, even in the overwhelming rush of “FIREWORK,” there’s hints of everything being in vain or the pain that was felt before meeting someone else. I try to express that in the choreography too so I hope everyone enjoys.

TAKI: This song uses fireworks to talk about how happy the nine of us are to have met. I hope LUNÉ pays extra close attention to the final chorus. I’m personally really into the very beginning and the start of the second verse—my part.

MAKI: It feels like we’re going even further here than “Under the skin,” the lead single from our debut EP. Between the tempo of the song and how it sounds, I think LUNÉ will be able to picture running to find someone. I get goosebumps just hearing the part where I yell “firework” right before the final chorus. I hope LUNÉ focuses in on that part too!

​“Road Not Taken” (&TEAM)

EJ: We put on an unforgettable performance for this deep, dark song. It’s invigorating, too, because it’s got a unique rock sound.

FUMA: This song makes the concept behind our group really clear and LUNÉ should be able to relate to it easily. There’s also a lot of rapping so it shows off a cool new side of us.

K: The music’s energetic and the choreography’s on point. The song’s all about how hard it is to find someone. There’s a lot of moves where we use our hands like we’re wolves, so I hope everyone looks forward to that!

NICHOLAS: This song follows along with our werewolf concept. Not only does the music go hard, so does the choreography. And it’s full of different moves that are tough to execute, so it’s a pretty high-energy song.

YUMA: This song really conveys our wolf idea well! I hope people watch the dance close since the song’s really speedy!

JO: This song starts off with a calm verse but you can feel the tension slowly rise with the explosive beat. I like the line, “No time to be afraid.” You can really feel the sense of a strong will without hesitation.

HARUA: What’s great about this song is how you can feel the strong, unwavering will to keep moving forward no matter how hard things get. I hope LUNÉ likes watching the choreography too. It’s uniquely structured and there’s some really hard moves in there too.

TAKI: This song’s all about the nine of us growing up together and forging a path that wasn’t there before. You’ll never get tired of listening to it since it’s full of cool, high-energy parts.

MAKI: I think this song reflects our werewolf concept even more directly than the single “FIREWORK.” You can hear howling in the song and see it in the choreography, and we also do wolf-like expressions, so I think the real charming point of this song is in the dance. It’s our most exciting choreography for this EP. I also tried rapping on this one, so I hope everyone looks out for that!

“Yesterday” (Jay Park)

EJ: I love this song because it makes me feel calm and emotional whenever I listen to it, so I listen to it a lot late at night or before bed.

“An Encore” (SHINee)

FUMA: This is a love song, but I also found a lot of support in its message about not giving up on your dreams and trying to start again.

“How Deep Is Your Love” (PJ Morton)

K: This is an easy-listening song that makes me feel better so I listen to it whenever I feel tired. This isn’t the original version but I like PJ Morton’s vocals so I ended up really liking this version.

“F*ck My Life” (SEVENTEEN)

NICHOLAS: I really like this song. It expresses worries and other things that are usually hard to talk about, and it’s really catchy. I recommend it.

“Everlasting Shine” (TOMORROW X TOGETHER) 

YUMA: This song feels like it’s supporting people who tried their best with whatever they’re doing. I like to listen to it when I’m feeling tired or I have to try really hard at something.

“Levels” (Nick Jonas)

JO: You should listen to this song in the morning to give you the confidence to be able to do anything you want that day. It’s a great pop song with a laid-back vibe and cool beat.

“Blue” (YOASOBI)

HARUA: I used to listen to this song a lot before I was a trainee. I still miss that time whenever I listen to it now because it brings back all kinds of memories of my school days. I hope anyone who works hard to reach their dreams will listen to it.

“Bills” (ENHYPEN)

TAKI: This is a great song! It’s really fresh and it makes me feel good. And it’s always best to listen to with earphones in.

“2 Much” (Justin Bieber)

MAKI: I’ve always loved Justin Bieber and I really respect him. This song’s off the album Justice, and all the songs on there are great, so it was really hard to choose just one song from it. (laughs) “2 Much” is sort of a sad song. The way Justin Bieber sings it in a sweet and sad voice is unforgettable. Make sure to give it a listen!

EJ’s Recommendation : Aimyon - ‘Marigold’ 

FUMA’s Recommendation : TAEMIN - ‘Pansy’ 

K’s Recommendation : Charlie Puth - ‘That’s Not How This Works (feat. Dan + Shay)’ 

NICHOLAS’s Recommendation : RM - ‘Closer (with Paul Blanco, Mahalia)’

YUMA’s Recommendation : Kessoku Band - ‘hitoribocchi tokyo’ 

JO’s Recommendation : OneRepublic - ‘RUNAWAY’ 

HARUA’s Recommendation : YOASOBI - ‘アイドル’ 
TAKI’s Recommendation : ONE OK ROCK - ‘Renegades’ ​

MAKI’s Recommendation : ​ENHYPEN - ‘Mixed Up’