IVE's Fourth Japanese EP LUCID DREAM Arrives Wednesday. One Track Has a Junji Ito Illustration.
Two days. That's the gap between today and IVE's next release. LUCID DREAM, the group's fourth Japanese EP, drops May 27 via Starship Entertainment and Ariola Japan - and it comes with one of the more unusual production credits in K-pop's recent Japan rollout: horror manga legend Junji Ito illustrated the Limited Pressing Edition jacket, drawing all six members in his signature style alongside the group's MINIVE characters.
The Ito connection runs deeper than the cover. Track 3, "JIGSAW," serves as the theme song for the TV Tokyo drama Strange - Junji Ito's Strange Tales to Keep You Up at Night, which premieres July 3. It's an all-original Japanese composition, one of three on the six-track EP.
Tracklist
LUCID DREAM (Japan original / title track)
Fashion (Japan original / Apple App Store campaign song)
JIGSAW (Japan original / TV Tokyo drama theme)
REBEL HEART -Japanese ver.-
ATTITUDE -Japanese ver.-
Thank U -Japanese ver.-
The title track "LUCID DREAM" was pre-released May 20 and previewed live at IVE's Kyocera Dome Osaka show on April 18 - their first dome concert in Japan. "Fashion," the other original, was released April 3 as the campaign song for Apple's App Store "Every Step with App Store" initiative in Japan. Tracks 4-6 are Japanese-language versions of songs from IVE EMPATHY, the Korean EP whose double title tracks "REBEL HEART" and "ATTITUDE" topped the Melon annual chart last year.
How to Buy
Physical copies ship May 27. The EP comes in 12 editions.
Japan (physical): CDJapan → cdjapan.co.jp | A!SMART (official IVE store) → asmart.jp
Global (digital): Available on all major streaming platforms from May 27, 12 a.m. JST
Limited Pressing Edition (Junji Ito jacket): manufactured through December 2026 only - available while supplies last
Editions at a glance: First Press Limited Edition (I, V, E versions with photobook), Regular Edition, Limited Pressing Edition (Junji Ito), Venue Limited Edition, and six Member Solo Jacket Editions (one per member).
Context
IVE has been one of the most consistent K-pop acts in Japan over the past three years. Their previous EP Be Alright topped two Oricon weekly charts on release. "After LIKE" has surpassed 200 million cumulative streams on Billboard Japan. The group sold out Kyocera Dome Osaka in April - capacity 55,000 - their first dome show in the country.
The Junji Ito drama tie-in is the EP's sharpest hook in the Japanese market. The drama premieres five weeks after the EP lands.
