SHINee’s Key Announces New Album [HUNTER]

Key of SHINee announced that he will release his third full album, [HUNTER], on August 11, 2025. 

If you’ve missed concept-driven albums, you will be delighted with any of Key’s albums. He is known for creating his own concepts and making sure that his dreams become reality. This new [HUNTER] era is no different — there are several different concept photos, the styling is over the top, and it tells a story. 

[HUNTER] will have 10 songs, including the title track, “[HUNTER].” SHINee are known for their ability to excel within any genre, and Key’s music showcases that as well. One surprising element of [HUNTER] is the collaborations. “Perfect Error” features Red Velvet’s Seulgi and is an R&B pop song with electric guitar and synths. “Infatuation,” featuring Eunho of Flave, is described as bright, cheerful, and romantic. 

Something we haven’t seen much before is an interactive website — http://youarethehunter.com launched on July 27. When you enter the site, it says, “Entering. Turn up the volume and observe your surroundings. I don’t remember anything … I don’t want anything…” Then you are brought into a white room facing the shape of an eye slit. If you move your mouse around, you will see a phone on the back wall. When you click on the phone, it says, “There’s something fishy about this phone. Now that you think about it, I think I’ve seen the number.” Then, you are able to press a button with a phone number, and a sound bite plays. 

When you click on the eye, the page turns fluorescent purple, and as you hold your mouse and move around the room, you see the words and phrases “5CH3DUL3 VOIC3 IN TH3 C4LL 5O5#, HUNTER, and 3 days in… September.” There are various papers on the floor which look just like the promotional ‘posters’ that have been shared on SHINee’s social media, but when you click one it says, “I can’t read the instructions.” It’s very fun to click on the different aspects of the site, and we’re excited to see how it all works within the album. 

Key announced three concert dates in Seoul, South Korea, to celebrate the album release titled KEYLAND: Uncanny Valley. The shows take place at Ticket Link Live Arena on September 26, 27, and 28, 2025. The SHINee WORLD Fanclub Pre-sale is on August 1, at 8pm KST, and the general sale happens on August 4, at 8pm KST. Key has been performing at SMTown concerts throughout the year and has mentioned that he wants to tour internationally, so hopefully that will come to fruition near the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026.