The Boys is the third Korean studio album and the fourth overall by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. The record saw the contribution of the group's previous collaborator Hitchhiker, who produced the tracks "Telepathy" and "Sunflower". The title track, "The Boys", was a result of experimenting with new producers, including American Grammy Award-winning producer Teddy Riley. Musically, The Boys mostly contains uptempo dance tracks and occasionally empowerment ballads.

Girls' Generation II ~Girls & Peace~ is the second Japanese studio album and the fifth overall by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was released on November 28, 2012, through Nayutawave Records. Girls & Peace is the first release by all the members since their third Korean studio album "The Boys" (2011), after the group entered a semi-hiatus to pursue solo activities in South Korea. Meanwhile, Girls' Generation-TTS, the group's first subunit, was created. Continuing the electro-influenced sound from their first Japanese album, Girls & Peace features a wide range of contribution from producers, including long-time collaborator, Kenzie, as well as multiple new producers such as Miles Walker, Deekay and Dapo Torimiro. The album sold over 116,000 copies in its first week, reaching the third spot on the Oricon Album chart, and has since received a Platinum certification from the RIAJ.