TREASURE are flipping the script. On June 1 at 6 p.m. KST, the 10-member YG Entertainment group drops their fourth mini album NEW WAV — and for the first time, the whole record leans all the way into hip-hop. It is a deliberate left turn for a group best known for bright, anthemic pop, and the early numbers suggest fans are more than ready for it.
A new chapter, by design
The hip-hop pivot is not a happy accident. YG Entertainment founder Yang Hyun Suk flagged the direction earlier this year, framing NEW WAV as “the start of a new chapter” for the group. After three years of stadium-sized pop singles, TREASURE wanted a record that sounded like the artists they actually listen to — and one that finally gave their rapper line the steering wheel.
That rapper line — Choi Hyun Suk, Yoshi, and Haruto — took an active hand in songwriting across the EP, shaping the lyrics and flows rather than slotting into someone else’s blueprint. The result, according to YG, is a tighter, more attitude-forward TREASURE that trades polish for swagger.
“IF I” expresses strong confidence and ambition — the drive to rise even higher while proving one’s own potential and possibilities.
Inside the tracklist
NEW WAV is a compact, four-song statement, and every track sits firmly in the hip-hop lane. The title track “IF I” opens the record, followed by “ZOOM ZOOM,” “NALLY-NA,” and “DANGER.” There is no genre-hopping filler here; the EP is built to be heard front to back as one cohesive mood.
YG describes “IF I” as a track about confidence and ambition — the urge to climb higher while proving what you are capable of. It is a fitting thesis statement for a comeback that asks longtime fans to hear the group in a brand-new register.
The hype is already real
If the teaser campaign is any indication, NEW WAV is landing. The “IF I” music video trailer raced past 11 million views before the album even arrived, a milestone Korean outlets flagged as a sign of how much anticipation has built around the release. Watch the trailer below:
Video: TREASURE – “IF I” M/V Trailer (Source: TREASURE Official / YG Entertainment, YouTube).
The rollout has been a slow, deliberate burn. YG dropped the comeback trailer on May 7, then rolled out paired member visual photos almost daily through late May, building to a group shot, the tracklist, and finally a D-1 poster the day before release. For a fandom, it is the kind of drip-feed that turns a launch date into a countdown.
From the album to the stage
The comeback is only the opening act. TREASURE follow NEW WAV with “TREASURE THE STAGE 2026 IN SEOUL,” a three-night run from June 19 to 21 at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium. The timing means the new hip-hop material will hit a live crowd just weeks after release — the truest test of whether the reinvention works in a room full of fans.
For a group that debuted on polished pop hooks, NEW WAV is a calculated risk: lean into the genre the members love, hand the pen to the rappers, and trust the fanbase to follow. Come June 1, the streaming charts will say whether the gamble paid off. Either way, TREASURE are betting that the new wave is theirs to ride.
Sources: Soompi, allkpop, Sports Kyunghyang, YG LIFE.
