Youth in the Shade

Youth in the Shade is the debut extended play by South Korean boy group Zerobaseone. It was released on July 10, 2023, by WakeOne and comprises six tracks, with "In Bloom" serving as the lead single.

Background and release
Zerobaseone was formed through Boys Planet, a reality competition show, which aired from February 2 to April 20, 2023. The group's final members were announced on the show's finale, which was broadcast live on April 20.

A spoiler film for the album, titled "Youth in the Shade", was uploaded on May 14 and a title poster was released on June 7. The first teaser for "In Bloom" was released on July 6 and an album sampler, with audio snippets of each song, was released on July 8. The second teaser for "In Bloom" was released on July 9. The single's music video, along with the full album was released on July 10. A press showcase in Gwangjin District was also held on the same day.

The EP concept was centered around the theme of "the beauty of youth and the shadow behind it". It was released for pre-order on June 21, and is available in two artbook versions and nine digipack versions.

Composition
Youth in the Shade consists of a total of 6 tracks. The opening track, "Back to Zerobase," is a drum and bass song that is meant to capture the initial emotions felt when a dream comes true, with the members expressing feelings of anticipation for the future and journey they face ahead. The second track and lead single, "In Bloom," is a drum and bass and synth-pop song that samples the main riff from the 1984 single "Take On Me" from the Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha. The lyrics describe the members having the courage to take their first meaningful step as a group, while being aware of an inevitable end, as they are determined to run to you. The third track, "New Kidz on the Block," is a dance-pop song with elements of UK garage, 2-step garage, and deep house that describes the group's determination to rise to the top. The fourth track, "And I," is a R&B pop song that captures the members secret admiration for someone through social media. The fifth track, "Our Season," is a pop song that discusses the members friendship and dreams, their excitement for the moments they will capture, and the memories they will make throughout their time as a group. The closing track, "Always," is a solo song designated to member Zhang Hao as a prize for placing first in the final ranking of Boys Planet. It is an alternative R&B song in which he expresses his appreciation and gratitude towards his fans, making a promise to always be with them.

Commercial performance
Preorders for the EP surpassed 780,000 copies in five days and 1.08 million copies in 13 days, breaking the record for the most pre-ordered K-pop debut album and becoming the first K-pop debut album to sell over a million copies. According to the Hanteo Chart, the album sold 1.24 million copies on its first day of release and 1,822,028 copies in its first week. The album was subsequently certified double million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), setting a record as the first K-pop debut album to sell more than 2 million copies. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, Youth in the Shade was the eighteenth most-consumed album across all formats, and the eleventh best-selling album worldwide, having sold 2.2 million units.