''Eclipse'' is the third
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. by South Korean girl group
EXID. It was released by Banana Culture and distributed by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
on April 10, 2017. The album contains six tracks including the
lead single "Night Rather Than Day". The album was promoted by EXID as a 4-member group, since main vocalist
Solji
Heo Sol-ji (Hangul: 허솔지; born January 10, 1989), known mononymously as Solji, is a South Korean singer. She was a member of the ballad duo group 2NB from 2006 to 2010. She later became a vocal trainer before joining EXID in July 2012 as t ...
was recovering from
hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is the condition that occurs due to excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. Thyrotoxicosis is the condition that occurs due to excessive thyroid hormone of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism ...
with which she was diagnosed in December 2016.
The EP was a commercial success, peaking at number 5 on South Korea's
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
and at number 4 on the US
World Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart.
Background and release
Initial reports stated that the group was making a comeback in early 2017. However, due to member Solji's
hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is the condition that occurs due to excessive production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland. Thyrotoxicosis is the condition that occurs due to excessive thyroid hormone of any cause and therefore includes hyperthyroidism ...
diagnosis, comeback plans were rescheduled for a spring of 2017 release. Banana Culture confirmed plans for an April comeback with no confirmation date, stating that the members were considering returning as a four-member group.
On March 20, 2017, it was officially announced that the group would be making a comeback as a four-member group with LE, Junghwa, Hani and Hyerin on April 10. An update on member Solji's health confirmed she would extend the halt of her promotions first announced in December 2016. Two days later, it was revealed that the title track was produced by
Shinsadong Tiger
Lee Ho-yang (born June 3, 1983), known professionally as Shinsadong Tiger, is a South Korean music producer and songwriter. Even after debuting in 2001 at the age of 18, he has worked many odd jobs to fund his music career. He has become a promi ...
and member
LE. On March 27, the group revealed that their third mini-album would be titled ''Eclipse'' and contain six songs, including an instrumental of the title track. From March 30 to April 2, teaser images of the group and members were released.
The name “Eclipse” refers to Solji’s absence and also alludes to how the full moon will return once Solji rejoins them, as EXID's next EP would be called ''
Full Moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon (when the ecliptic coordinate system, ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon opp ...
''.
''Eclipse'' was released at noon KST on April 10, 2017 through several music portals, including
Melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...
and
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
for the global market.
Music video
On April 2, 2017, member Hani posted a teaser on her personal Instagram account, revealing a teaser from the music video for "Night Rather Than Day". A day later, the first music video teaser was officially released through the group's official YouTube channel. On April 4, individual teasers were revealed
The music video was released on April 10, 2017, at noon KST. The colorful video features the members struggling through the grind of their daily commute as they long for the nighttime, before finally being able to enjoy themselves at night, as they sing about preferring to have dates during the night rather than the day.
Promotion
EXID held their first comeback stage on
SBS MTV
SBS M is a South Korean pay television music channel owned by SBS Medianet, a division of SBS Media Holdings. It features South Korean pop artists, international music, news, and a few reality and variety programs.
It was launched in 2001 as t ...
's
''The Show'' on April 11, 2017, performing "Boy" and "Night Rather Than Day". They continued on
MBC Music
MBC M (formerly MBC Music) () is a South Korean specialty television channel owned by MBC Plus Media. The cable channel primarily broadcasts programming related to music.
The channel opened on February 1, 2012, with a new music program ''Show ...
's ''
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung ...
'' on April 11,
Mnet
M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Bro ...
'' on April 13 and
KBS's
''Music Bank'' on April 14.
Singles
"Night Rather Than Day" entered at number 9 on the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
for the April 9–15, 2017 chart week with 94,225 downloads sold and 1,719,902 streams. It also debuted at number 70 on Billboard Korea's K-pop Hot 100.
The song made
''Billboard'''s "20 Best K-pop Songs of 2017" list at number 8.
Commercial performance
''Eclipse'' entered at number 5 on the
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
on the chart issue dated April 9–15, 2017. It also entered and peaked at number 4 on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's
World Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
for the week ending April 29, 2017, as the highest ranking debut of the week. In its second week, the EP placed at number 10.
Track listing
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
EXID albums
2017 EPs
Korean-language EPs