New K-pop albums this week: ITZY, ZB1

ITZY and ZEROBASEONE both put out new releases on May 18, 2026, giving K-pop fans two of the week’s most discussed albums. ITZY released the mini-album “Motto” through JYP Entertainment, while ZEROBASEONE released its sixth mini-album “Ascend-,” led by the title track “TOP 5.” X users spent the first days after release trading short reviews rather than breaking news. One widely circulated post from heuristiccity grouped ITZY, Taeyong and ZEROBASEONE among the week’s notable albums, praising ITZY’s group material, calling the back half of Taeyong’s album stronger, and highlighting ZEROBASEONE’s “V for Vision” and “Changes.” ### Which ITZY release are fans reacting to this week? (itzy.jype.com) ITZY’s official site said the group’s mini-album “Motto” was released on Monday, May 18, at 6 p.m. Korea time, with “Motto” as the title track. JYP Entertainment published the track-list notice ahead of release on the group’s official website. ITZY’s comeback drew attention in part because the release mixed group songs with solo material, according to album listings and pre-release coverage. (kpopofficial.com) That structure helps explain why some fan reactions on X separated praise for the full-group tracks from more mixed takes on individual solos. ### What exactly is ZEROBASEONE’s new album? ZEROBASEONE’s new project is the mini-album “Ascend-,” released on May 18 with seven tracks including the title song “TOP 5,” “V for Vision,” “Customize,” “Exotic,” “Changes,” and “Zero to Hundred.” The group’s official YouTube channel and multiple track-list reports published those details ahead of release. (itzy.jype.com) A May 4 track-list reveal was one of the early markers for the comeback campaign. (ize.co.kr) Coverage of that rollout said member Park Gunwook was involved in the album, a detail picked up in fan discussion as the release approached. ### Why are “V for Vision” and “Changes” showing up in fan posts? The heuristiccity post on X singled out “V for Vision” and “Changes” as standouts from ZEROBASEONE’s album. (youtube.com) Those songs are both part of the official “Ascend-” track list, which made the fan commentary easy to trace back to the release itself rather than to unreleased snippets or concert-only material. (kstationtv.com) A separate point in the same social-media conversation was that the week felt strong for K-pop albums overall. That framing matched the clustering of releases around May 18, including ITZY’s “Motto,” ZEROBASEONE’s “Ascend-,” and Taeyong’s first full album “WYLD.” ### Where does Taeyong fit into the same conversation? Taeyong’s first studio album “WYLD” was also released on May 18 at 6 p.m. (musicmundial.com) Korea time, according to album listings and official promotional material tied to the release. Songs cited in fan commentary, including “404 Euphoria” and “Skiii,” appear on the album’s published track list. The X reaction described the album’s second half as especially strong, pointing listeners toward those later tracks. (itzy.jype.com) That is a fan assessment rather than a chart or sales measure, but it aligned with the album’s posted sequence, where “404 Euphoria” and “Skiii” appear in the latter stretch. ### What comes next for these releases? ZEROBASEONE’s next visible promotion dates are already on public schedules. (kpopofficial.com) Setlist listings show appearances tied to M Countdown on May 21, KBS Music Bank on May 22, and SBS Inkigayo on May 24 in Seoul. ITZY’s “Motto” and ZEROBASEONE’s “Ascend-” are now in the first week of release tracking, with fan discussion still centered on specific album cuts rather than only title tracks. (kpopofficial.com) The heuristiccity post remains one of the clearer snapshots of that early response on X. (itzy.jype.com) (setlist.fm)