Is TOMORROW X TOGETHER Growing Up?
On their latest EP, “minisode 3: TOMORROW”, the group charts a turbulent road to adulthood.
K-Pop idols rarely define themselves as losers. But TOMORROW X TOGETHER wholly embrace the term. Their sound has always been decidedly more punk and edgier than other contemporary idols, thanks in part to a vocal growl heard from Taehyun on tracks like “OX1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)”. But the group is most pointed about their loserdom in their lyrics. In one of their biggest anthems, the soaring “LO$ER=LO♡ER”, they proclaim that they’re just a loser in love. They make room for big emotions, too, on tracks like “Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go” when Soobin sings, “On Fridays, I'll cry as much as I like/ Pull yourself together on a Saturday night/ There's one more Sunday.”
Their relatability as a group of misfits is believable because the group never claims to be cooler than they are. On vlogs released on their YouTube channel, Soobin never leaves his room, preferring to order room service and watch anime. Kai collects Pokemon plushies. Beomgyu, who many MOAs define as “chaotic”, is happily introverted. Even the “coolest” member Yeonjun breezes through his vlogs with a sense of humble charm: He’s the sensitive boy with great style.
In their five years since debut, the members have grown from the boys who comically yell “I just wanna be your dog!” on “Cat and Dog” to young men who are willing to tackle meaty questions about identity and self-love. The group bookended their last EP “The Name Chapter: FREEFALL” with “Growing Pains” and “Farewell, Neverland”, two tracks that tackle the end of youth. But on “minisode 3: TOMORROW”, the members are beginning to sound mature. “It’s okay if things go wrong, right?” Yeonjun asks in “Miracle” — and it is, they conclude, as long as they have some good friends by their side.
Yet this maturity isn’t just heard in their weary lyrics, but in their skill as experimenters, too. Part of what makes TOMORROW X TOGETHER so thrilling is their capability to pull off so many genres and on this EP alone, the group plays with house music, afrobeats, and pop punk.
“Deja Vu”, the title track, stands as one of their best. It infuses anthemic pop with a little bit of grunge, letting the members riff in their vocal deliveries. This, too, is something very few groups like TXT pull off: The ability to convey complicated, sometimes messy, emotions in their vocals.
“minisode 3: TOMORROW” is the group’s first EP since their biggest shot at North American stardom in 2023. Last year, the group collaborated with several (D list) American pop stars, headlined Lollapalooza, and performed on the VMAs. But the playbook used by Big Hit is outdated and, strangely, sanded down the group’s originality. What could have happened if Big Hit had faith in the group simply being themselves? It’s a case study for another article, but this time, mercifully, there are no features with American artists, no songs recorded in English, and no lyrics that sound as if they were written in a hollow songwriting camp in Los Angeles.
Instead, this EP gives the group space to be creative: You can hear it on “The Killa”, which uses afrobeats and is a clear sequel to last year’s banger “Tinnitus”. On the opener “I’ll See You There Tomorrow”, the group evokes the Euro-house music that I haven’t heard since SHINee’s “View” or f(x)’s “4 Walls”. These flourishes are a welcomed jolt of adrenaline for a group that was once sidelined by the Jonas Brothers.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER feel the most authentic, though, on the angsty “Quarter Life Crisis”. Here, the group is allowed to be refreshingly honest about what a confusing time our early twenties can be. It’s, arguably, when we’re our most toxic and fatalistic. So, when Taehyun sings, “Don’t wanna say even if I’m struggling/ Won’t say that I fucked it up”, the candor is refreshing. For one enthralling moment, the boys don’t sound like polished idols — just five passengers navigating the turbulent road ahead with eyes wide open.
