RESCENE returns with ‘PULSE’ after breakout year of K-pop underdog success
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0 K-pop girl group RESCENE members pose during the group’s showcase for the fourth mini EP, “PULSE,” at Blue Square in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
K-pop girl group RESCENE returned Tuesday with its fourth mini album, “PULSE,” hoping to build on a breakout year that saw its songs climb back up the charts and earn six music show wins.
The five-member group — Woni, Liv, Minami, May and Zena — introduced the five-track release during a showcase at Blue Square in Seoul, ahead of its scheduled release at 6 p.m.
The album arrives nearly a year after the group’s third EP, “Lip Bomb,” released Nov. 25 last year, and four months after its remake single, “Pretty Girl.”
Liv said the months had passed quickly, with members buoyed by listeners’ support.
“We worked hard together to repay everyone who waited for us,” she said. “We’ll show you RESCENE that has grown stronger and more mature.”
“’PULSE’ signals that our hearts have begun beating strongly again and captures the pounding heartbeat of seeing a scene we’ve long imagined unfold before our eyes,” Woni said, describing the album.
Lead single “With” follows someone who runs toward a person they have long dreamed of meeting. Moving from a lyrical opening to an energetic chorus, the song turns that encounter into a promise to move forward together.
For RESCENE, which has linked music with fragrance throughout its releases, the album’s defining scent is musk. Its lingering warmth represents the shared body heat of performers and audiences, extending the connection between the stage and listeners.
Zena said the choreography emphasizes the members’ teamwork.
“There are many movements where we synchronize as though we’re one body,” she said. “I hope people watch the synergy that comes when the five of us unite.”
RESCENE performs “With,” the lead single of the fourth mini album, “PULSE,” during the group’s showcase in Seoul, Tuesday. Newsis
The EP also includes “Finest Thing,” “Inside Out,” “MEME” and “Dragon.”
The comeback follows a breakthrough year for RESCENE, whose rise in a K-pop industry dominated by major labels has been unusual and meteoric.
The group drew attention this spring through the viral “Geoje yaho” meme, before “LOVE ATTACK” found renewed chart success. That momentum carried over to music shows. “Pretty Girl” subsequently brought the group its first music show victory on SBS Life’s “The Show” on July 14. The song collected four wins, while “LOVE ATTACK” added two, bringing the group’s total to six.
The group also won the best fandom and best visual content awards at the 2026 K World Dream Awards on Aug. 27.
That trajectory has earned RESCENE a reputation of being a “miracle” among groups from smaller agencies and, more recently, a “national girl group.”
May responded cautiously to that latter label.
“It feels far too generous for us,” she said. “As more people call us that, we’re working to become a team worthy of that name.”
RESCENE performs “Inside Out” from “PULSE,” during the group’s showcase in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
The members credited fans who stayed beside them through the wait for their breakthrough, while pointing to their cheerful image and varied musical colors as possible reasons for their appeal.
Woni said the group hoped its next chapter would justify the faith behind those descriptions.
“A miracle isn’t something that happens easily, so we’re grateful people use that word for us,” she said. “We want to become a group that makes people think of the word ‘miracle’ once again.”
