Striking feline poses and strutting down the catwalk in skintight black getups, K-pop girl group Ace of Angels is returning with a new EP and a “catwoman” concept.

During a press showcase held Monday at the Yes24 MUV Hall in Seoul, the seven-member girl group unveiled its latest EP, “Like a Cat,” and its eponymous lead single that was very much in keeping with the group’s feline choreography.

The single is an upbeat electro-pop dance track that has the girls dancing in feline movements, with the official music video having the girls acting as cat burglars.

“Our album’s new concept is basically catwomen, and we wanted to be both charming and sexy in our approach,” said AOA member Choa. “We actually spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to best express ourselves in a cat-like manner. We studied movements from the musical ‘Cats’ as well as watching the cats on TV’s ‘Animal Farm’ to get some ideas.” 

“From how we walk, to how we feel, ‘Like a Cat’ is all about expressing our inner cats,” said Yuna.

For their return to the limelight, the girls reunited with major K-pop hit-maker Brave Brothers, who coproduced, composed and wrote three of the EP’s six tracks, including AOA’s title track.

“We are much more confident in ourselves with this album compared to our past releases because this is our third time working with producer Brave Brothers,” said Choa. “Because we have all worked together in the past, we are much more in sync and I think people will be able to notice that.”

The new album will be AOA’s third release this year, after the two EPs “Miniskirt” and “Short Hair.” Referring to the act as “transformers” on multiple occasions, Choa explained that the members are always looking to come up with new ideas, new visions.

“The reason I call us the ‘transformer group’ is because we are always trying to show fans a different side of us, whether it be playful, cute or sexy,” she said.

In January the girls revamped their image with the single “Miniskirt,” by heavily emphasizing their sexier side, landing AOA its first No. 1 single since debuting two years ago.

When asked whether or not the girls were feeling any pressure to return to the top of the charts, the members ― who said that they still consider themselves to be slightly under the radar compared to the biggest K-pop girl groups ― said that a No. 1 single is great, but it isn’t everything.

“Don’t really think of it as us competing with other groups to reach the top,” said Choa. “We always work very hard, wanting to show fans what we are capable of doing, and we just hope people enjoy our new songs.”

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)