First six-member album puts sound, performance at forefront, while expanding into Brazilian funk Enhypen poses during a press conference for its eighth EP, "The Sin: Bliss," in Seoul, Thursday. (Belift Lab) Enhypen is putting its music and performance first, as the group begins a new chapter as a six-piece act with its eighth mini-album, “The Sin: Bliss,” its first release since the departure of Heeseung, who is now known as Evan.Speaking at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday, leader Jungwon said the lineup change did not alter what the boy band considered most important while preparing the new EP.“Rather than the number of members, we focused most on how we could make the final product better, whether it was the recording or the performance,” Jungwon said.The transition came quickly. Jungwon said the group had a performance in Australia just two or three days after the lineup change and focused on remaining professional and delivering the best possible performance for fans. The band then continued working on the album while discussing among themselves how to produce the best possible result.Jay went further, calling the new EP the strongest album of Enhypen’s career so far. He said all six of them were unusually unanimous about the quality of the music, performances and related content.“We all shared the same opinion that the quality of everything was very high,” Jay said, adding that it was the album they had prepared with the fewest regrets.The 10-track EP, set for release Friday, is led by “Bloody Paradise,” a Brazilian funk dance track about finding paradise as long as one remains beside the person they love, even while being pursued.For most of the bandmates, it marks their first attempt at the genre. Sunghoon, however, had previously experimented with Brazilian funk on his solo remix version of “Knife,” the lead track from the group’s seventh mini-album.“I already enjoyed listening to the genre, so when it became our new main track, it felt very fresh and fun,” Sunghoon said. Sunghoon of Enhypen poses at a press conference for the boy band's eighth EP, "The Sin: Bliss," in Seoul, Thursday. (Belift Lab) While venturing into a new genre, the group continues to lean on what they consider one of Enhypen’s defining strengths: its story-driven concept.“The concept album is an important keyword for us,” Jay said, noting that fans have long recognized the group for investing heavily in concepts and building continuing storylines.The eighth EP picks up where its predecessor left off. The previous album followed a vampire who breaks taboo and flees with his lover. In “The Sin: Bliss,” the couple faces hardships during their escape but comes to realize that simply being together is a blessing, with their love deepening amid the crisis.The new effort also comes as Enhypen approaches the period when attention is turning to the group’s contract renewal. Jungwon said no concrete discussions have taken place yet.“There haven’t been any specific discussions about contract renewal yet,” he said. “We’ll do our best so that there can be a good outcome for our fans.”