CLOSE YOUR EYES has opened a new stage of its comeback with “Open Your Eyes”, a pre-release track issued on September 18, 2026 at 6 p.m. KST ahead of the fourth mini album 256th Note. The song is not the album's title track: it appears as track one and serves as an early introduction to the musical direction the group will bring to the full release on September 30.
According to Soompi, “Open Your Eyes” takes the freedom and improvisational spirit of jazz and reinterprets them through hip-hop and R&B. The official schedule on Weverse confirms the September 18 pre-release and the September 30 release of 256th Note, both at 6 p.m. KST.
“Open Your Eyes” is a pre-release, not the title track
The distinction matters for understanding the song's role in the comeback. “Open Your Eyes” arrives before the mini album and occupies track one, but the announced title track for 256th Note is “Drop That!”. In practice, the pre-release gives listeners a full first sample of the new era without replacing the song that will officially lead the album's promotion.
This also prevents confusion about the schedule: the music video and song released on September 18 are already part of 256th Note, while the rest of the project remains scheduled for September 30. The official highlight medley on Weverse identifies “Open Your Eyes” as track one.
What the song previews about 256th Note
The clearest signal is the genre combination. The description released for “Open Your Eyes” emphasizes a jazz-inspired foundation, especially the genre's sense of freedom and improvisation, filtered through hip-hop and R&B elements. Rather than treating jazz as an isolated reference, the song places it inside a contemporary pop production.
That choice fits the broader concept of 256th Note, described as a project centered on the group's emotions, growth and musical reflections. Even so, one track cannot define the entire mini album. What can be stated safely is that “Open Your Eyes” establishes one of the project's sonic axes and makes genre blending central to the comeback's first full impression.
Jeon Minwook and Kenshin took part in writing the lyrics
Jeon Minwook and Kenshin are among the members credited with participating in the lyrics for “Open Your Eyes”. The detail was highlighted in Soompi's September 18 release update. It adds a layer of member authorship to the pre-release and connects the song to the wider pattern of member involvement in the new mini album's lyric writing.
The credits do not mean the two members wrote the lyrics alone. The confirmed information is that both participated in the writing process. For listeners following the group's creative development, that is the relevant point: the pre-release already includes direct lyrical input from CLOSE YOUR EYES members.
What is confirmed for September 30
| Item | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Release | 256th Note arrives on September 30, 2026 at 6 p.m. KST. |
| Format | CLOSE YOUR EYES's fourth mini album. |
| Title track | “Drop That!” |
| Number of tracks | 7. |
| Tracklist | “Open Your Eyes”, “Drop That!”, “Vibe Check”, “Slowly Bleed”, “Fool For You”, “Baby Bossa Nova” and “Eternity”. |
| Featured artist | Joo Hye-rin appears on “Baby Bossa Nova”. |
| “Eternity” lyrics | All seven members participated in writing the lyrics. |
The table brings together information from the group's official schedule and reporting on the tracklist, including CBC Globe. The key point is that “Open Your Eyes” opens the record, while “Drop That!” remains the title track for the September 30 release.
What the pre-release tells us, and what still requires caution
“Open Your Eyes” establishes a clear direction for the opening of 256th Note: jazz reinterpreted through hip-hop and R&B, plus lyric participation from Jeon Minwook and Kenshin. It also confirms that the comeback was structured in two stages, first the pre-release and then the full mini album.
What should not be assumed is that the same sonic combination applies automatically to all seven songs. The tracklist points to variety and includes, for example, “Baby Bossa Nova”, but each song needs to be assessed through its own credits and official material. Until September 30, “Open Your Eyes” is the first complete piece available for understanding the group's new chapter, not a definitive summary of the entire album.
