South Korean boy group EXO made its highly anticipated comeback on Monday with a special album that also marked the return of several members.

The 5-track "Don't Fight the Feeling" is the group's first new material in 18 months, with the last being "Obsession," a studio album released back in November 2019.

The album dropped alongside the music video for the lead single of the same title.

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In an earlier teaser, D.O. said "Don't Fight the Feeling" continues the storyline of the music video of "Power," the band's 2017 hit.

Since its debut in 2012, EXO has been following a narrative where each member is an alien with a superpower.

Fans were ecstatic as the release featured the return of D.O. and Xiumin following their mandatory military service, and Chinese member Lay, who has been absent from EXO activities since 2017.

Members Chanyeol and Baekhyun participated in the recording for "Don't Fight the Feeling" before they enlisted in the military last March and May, respectively.

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Ahead of the album's release on Monday, English-language newspaper The Korea Herald reported pre-sales for "Don't Fight the Feeling" surpassed 1.22 million copies.

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Hashtags and phrases related to EXO's comeback occupied the top 4 spots of Twitter's list of trending topics in the Philippines.

EXO debuted as 12-member group under SM Entertainment, one of the leading K-pop companies. It has since become a 9-piece team following the departure of Chinese members Luhan, Kris, and Tao.

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Aside from Chanyeol and Baekhyun, leader Suho and vocalist Chen are also currently serving in the military.

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