On Friday, boy group P1Harmony returned to the K-pop scene with its comeback EP: “SAD SONG,” featuring a title track, its English version and five new original songs. In the group’s seventh EP, their standard dance-pop sound evolves into a gentle, more lyrical and dynamic groove.

For those who need to catch up, P1Harmony is a four-year-old Korean pop band consisting of six members. The name “P1Harmony” is a combination of the words “plus,” “one” and “harmony,” which represents them coming together as one to create beautiful music. Since the group’s debut EP “DISHARMONY : STAND OUT” and accompanying single “SIREN,” P1Harmony’s music has been all about boasting their members’ unique voices and talents to create music that relentlessly preaches positivity using infectious and intense hip-hop songs.

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“P1Harmony”’s first full-length album, “Killin’ It,” and its DISHARMONY/HARMONY EP series are a testament to the group’s love of hip-hop and dance. “Killin’ It’s” title track, “Emergency,” and “Street Star” were centered around intense beats and overwhelming rhythms.

The title track of this new EP, “SAD SONG,” pays homage to the artists’ signature hip-hop sound with its fiery, fast-paced energy and catchy beat. It’s also the band’s first try infusing Latin beats into their music, leaning into the backbeats of their song.

Two of the band’s main songwriters — rapper Jiung and vocalist and band leader Keeho — took inspiration from Latin America’s long history and culture. Listening to the songs in this album, the band’s admiration and love for Latin music is obvious, but the songwriters’ adaptation of this style they love into P1Harmony’s unique musical color is just as palpable.

“SAD SONG” is a fresh and fun dance tune that oozes the band’s confidence and supports its catchiness and various intensity levels in the different members’ unique voices. The rest of this EP sings of a more laid-back pop and vocal-centric vibe that still demands the attention of the group’s rhythm-loving audience. d

In “It’s Alright” and “All You,” the band really leans into their vocals. When the artists are singing the chorus of “It’s Alright,” the repetition of “I don’t wonder, I don’t wonder who cares” is layered with vocalists Keeho and singer Theo’s ad-libs and riffs.

“All You” has a soft piano intro leading to a chill and rhythmic pop song about the gentle magic of falling in love. The chorus sung by Jiung and Keeho is smooth and melodic, and the supporting rap by Intak and Jongseob adds to the song’s easy, lyrical ascension.

Another important note of this album is that “SAD SONG” has the band’s first sub-unit song: “WASP.” A sub-unit song is when only a couple of members work on a song together rather than the whole band.

“WASP” specifically features P1Harmony’s main rappers, Intak and Jongseob, who use their sharp and bold voices to create a strong and intense song. There’s an electronic sound in its background with heavy and sharp percussive beats that allow room for Jongseob’s sultry voice and Intak’s vicious rhythm to shine.

The other two songs — “Welcome To” and “Last Call” — are gorgeously groovy pop songs that show off P1Harmony’s holistic musical skills and their unique sound.

“Welcome To” has an incredibly catchy pulse melody that leads the instrumental of the song and switches off between the background music and the members, like when rapper Soul echoes the line “Here we go again” against the notes. Paired with a heavy pulse beat that swings the song into a swag, this song easily and confidently shows off each vocalist’s voice and each rapper’s rhythm.

“Last Call” leads with pop guitar and uses the emotive nature of the vocalists to cultivate this fast, addictive and almost One Direction vibe, especially in the chorus where Jiung sings “Tonight” and the members echo “Tonight” back at him. Something about that on-key back-and-forth between voices is so reminiscent of the boy-band charm, and P1Harmony takes full advantage.

Sometimes, band members who might be learning Korean or not that confident in the language will not get as many lines in songs. Soul, for one, a rapper and singer for P1Harmony, is an example. In the band’s previous release, “Killin’ It,” he didn’t get many lines.

In “SAD SONG” — which appears in English and Korean versions on the album — though, he sings a bit more in the second verse, interlude and pre-chorus of the title track, is one of the stars of the music video and is healthily scattered throughout the rest of the album. While it’s nothing like a featured song, Soul’s powerful stage presence and serene voice get to take a bigger spotlight, which is a gift.

Overall, “SAD SONG” EP takes the tried and true individuality of the band and new influences of music that they love and puts both together to grow the group’s repertoire into something new and smashing. This album is a beautiful reminder never to stop growing by the boys who create harmony together.