7th Year: The Top 7 Moments from TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Newest Release
- Maggz
- 13 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Written by Maggz
| Celebrating seven years as a group, TXT is back with six new songs, a cohesive concept, and dreams for their future together.
With an EP title that sounds like that of a mythological animated series, TOMORROW X TOGETHER has burst back onto the K-pop scene with a new EP, celebrating seven years as a group. Fans were recently delighted to hear the exciting news announcing that all five members had renewed their contracts with Big Hit Entertainment. They have had many “firsts” as a group since their debut in March 2019, including entering the Billboard 200 at number 140 (the highest-charting debut album by any male K-Pop group at the time) and being the first Korean boy band to headline the popular Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.
After surpassing 1.5 million sales in the first two days, TXT’s promotion schedule for 7th Year: A Moment of Stillness in Thorns was filled with many memorable experiences for both the artists and fans, but we’ve picked our top seven to look back on this era in appreciation and awe.
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Yearning Romance Music Video with Dream-like Metaphors? Oh, we are so back!
The music video for the album’s title track, “Stick With You,” features a romance plot line in which the lead character, initially introduced as group leader Soobin, is worried his romantic partner is pulling away. Korean actress Jeon Jong-so portrays said woman as the scenes progress in a dream-like way, non-linear flow with the four other members stepping into the “lead” role. A welcome break from the typical, modern music videos that feature high amounts of CGI and action-packed sequences, this release brings us back to the early days of K-pop and we can’t get enough.
Soothing B-Sides, No Skip Album
While “Stick With You” is an addicting title track with an echoing chorus, the other five tracks on the album provide can’t miss moments. “Bed of Thorns” feels like the perfect track to open the album and to tee up the title track. With a perfectly sing-along-able chorus and a synth-pop sound, it easily lands as a favorite on the album. “21st Century Romance” comes in strong with a haunting opening, bold piano and guitar accompaniments and romantic, harmony-filled lyrics. “No, I’m not afraid to love. No, I’m not afraid to fall, to fall,” push forward through the thrumming bass guitar in “Dream of Mine” which closes out the album as the final track giving boy-band rocker vibes. The album is full of diverse sounds, while still staying true to the sound that MOA (TXT’s fans) have come to love from their favorite group.
For the Photocard Collectors - Album Photocard Case Version
K-pop companies are always coming out with new ways to entice photocard collectors and merch collectors into buying albums. Photocard collecting has always been a staple of fandoms and in recent years has exploded into large collections being shared on TikTok or even to idols in fancalls. Albums with NFC tags in keychain form have become especially popular in recent years, giving fans an opportunity to purchase a unique, styleable version of the album that breaks from the traditional mold of coming with a physical CD. With the NFC tag, fans can tap the item on their phone and listen to the album on the go and promote their favorite group’s recent release. With TXT’s latest album, one of the album versions available for purchase directly targeted this subset of the fandom, the album coming with a NFC tag that looks like a mini cd, an acrylic photocard holder keychain, a group card, and a random selfie card. It’s great to see companies embracing parts of fan culture that continue to grow, but often not so great for dedicated merch collectors’ wallets.
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“Is This a Dream?” First Show! Music Core Show Win
Nothing hits quite like waking up to see your favorite group trending on X with “FIRST WIN” after hours spent streaming the new title track and voting on music show apps. MOA were particularly excited to wake up on April 25 to see their artists accept the first place win on Show! Music Core. The members seemed surprised as silver confetti burst onto the stage, Yeonjun jumping up and down and asking MOA at the live recording to cheer even louder. Hyuningkai accepted the trophy, thanking the fans for their support, who were already screaming and teary eyed. The moment felt serendipitous, the performance and win taking place on the 943rd episode of the show. The number was particularly special for fans and the group as during their “943 era” in 2019 they had been scheduled to perform “Run Away (9와 4분의 3 승강장에서 너를 기다려)” on the same show but couldn’t appear due to disputes between Big Hit and MBC at the time, meeting fans outside the venue instead.
TXT went on to achieve a “Grand Slam” for music show wins, taking first place for “Stick With You” on The Show Champion, M Countdown, Music Bank, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo. This is a rare achievement for K-pop artists and the first time TXT took first place on all five shows during a single comeback since debut. This signifies not only their lasting success as a group but also the stability of their popularity in Korea, where a majority of voting for these shows take place.
Social Media Kings
K-pop comebacks these days come with opportunities to see artists interact with each other backstage (and sometimes during interview segments) on music shows, viral videos posted to TikTok and Instagram that are met with millions of views. While TXT did their fair share of classic choreography videos with members from BOYNEXTDOOR, &TEAM, and LE SSERAFIM, SANTOS BRAVOS, they also posted some more out of the box concepts. Hyuningkai and ZEROBASEONE member KIM TAE RAE filmed a video using the “Stick With You” chorus while in a steam shower - the reason still being unclear. Collaborating with another group with the same promotion schedule as them, NCT Wish’s Riku joined Hyuningkai to showcase high-speed footwork to a sped up version of “Stick With You.”
Showing their youth and attention to meme culture, members posted a TikTok using the viral “Scuba” with the signature hand motion that everyone’s surely seen pop up every few videos on their for you page. Never afraid to hop on a trend, members mouthed lyrics to Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and the Beat” in another TikTok, picking up on a trend of people using the audio after his controversial Coachella performance. Beomgyu even went so far as proposing to MOA with an engagement ring and then proceeding to brush his teeth, to the “Stick With You” instrumental track. It’s safe to say that TXT, after seven years together, is still happy to participate in more silly content that brings humor and playfulness to their promotion schedule.
Photo Big Hit Entertainment
“Don’t pay for the premium!” Taehyun Anti-Capitalism Era
In the modern era of K-pop, almost every part of being a fan is monetized. Albums, merch, plushies representing your bias, even watching live streams of concerts at 3AM - everything has a price tag. It’s becoming harder and harder for fans to decide what pieces of the fandom puzzle are worth shelling out money for, especially during such turbulent economic times.
During a typical livestream, member Taehyun was introducing the live and greeting MOA as they joined excitedly from all over the world. Fans were quick to share in the chat that those who did not pay for the premium version were being served an ad and they couldn’t see or hear him yet. Taehyun was quick to say that he would just wait to start talking until it was over to discourage fans from paying for the premium version of Weverse. This was a rare occasion to see an idol discourage fans from spending more money, even if it meant potentially getting scolded later by the company.
Photo Big hit Entertainment
Your New Favorite Podcast Bros - TXTCast
Everywhere you turn these days there is a new podcast with guys in fleece vests and baseball caps pulling microphone arms in front of them to spew their “unique viewpoint” to the viewer. The members of TXT are the latest to join the fray with TXTCast, a video podcast uploaded on their YouTube channel.
After an opener where members make fun of Soobin for a cheesy fourth wall breaking moment of addressing MOA directly in the camera, the members start to give advice to their fans on a variety of topics ranging from what they should eat for dinner to how to navigate pursuing a career in entertainment. Fans open up about being rejected by their crush, to which TXT take great care to analyze the text exchanges the fans shared and give them advice on how to navigate the situation. It’s fun to watch the members talk about everyday experiences and weave in their inside jokes, humor, and personalities.
Fans of TXT can stream their latest release 7th Year: A Moment of Stillness in Thorns on music platforms worldwide. The group recently met fans again in Nagoya, Japan on Sunday, May 24 for their TXT MOA CON IN JAPAN and look forward to performing for fans in the US again at KCON LA in August.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER
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