TOMORROW X TOGETHER at their TOMORROW X TOGETHER GLOBAL MEDIA SHOWCASE 'minisode 2: Thursday’s ... [+]
Tomorrow X Together has returned with new music that shows the darkest side yet of the K-pop superstars with Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child and its lead single “Good Boy Gone Bad.”
Speaking at their global media showcase taking place in Seoul ahead of the release of the new EP, the boy band introduced their record in a press conference by answering questions from international media and performing new tracks. The album’s title comes from the classic nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child,” which includes the line “Thursday’s child has far to go.” The open-ended, oft-debated line of the poem leaves perfect room open for creative liberty to allow Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai to explore their growth and evolution as people and artists. Taehyun even explained that the line could be applied to the group as TXT have “far to go” too.
While the previous Minisode album from TXT represented a departure into disco-pop territory (on 2020’s Minisode 1: Blue Hour), the majority of this new record feels like natural steps in the group’s musical evolution. Following the darker, punk sounds explored in 2021 singles “0X1=LOVESONG” and “LO$ER=LOVER,” the new single “Good Boy Gone Bad” delivers a hard hybrid of rock and hip-hop to tell the story of the end of a relationship. Described as a “Gen Z breakup song” by the group, the track sees the guys tackling one of the harsher inevitabilities of growing with an artistic flair that feels emotional, vigorous and even slightly sinister.
Other cuts on the album echo TXT’s message that connects with outsiders. The piano-led pop ballad “Trust Fund Baby” is an emotional track that speaks to life’s uncertainty no matter what advantages one has. At the same time, the sparse “Lonely Boy (Tattoo on My Ring Finger)” talks about reluctant independence. Then EP closer “Thursday’s Child Has Far to Go” discusses life’s continuing journey with a fascinating metaphor, likening Thursday’s unique place in the week as not quite the weekend but still not a weekday.
In addition to taking on the challenge of a darker musical concept, the guys spoke excitedly about their musical contributions. Beomgyu praised Taehyun’s writing skills on “Thursday’s Child Has Far to Go” after Yeonjun shared the satisfaction he felt in penning his rap section on “Good Boy Gone Bad” to connect to previous TXT single “LO$ER=LOVER.” Further spotlighting the album’s personal nature, the members have writing credits on every EP track. Beomgyu even co-produced “Thursday’s Child” alongside prolific Korean producer Slow Rabbit, who has helped helm many songs by TXT as well as their label mates BTS.
While Tomorrow X Together have multiple Number One albums in Korea and Japan, the group has so far peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. With industry predictions showing impressive numbers for pre-orders in the U.S., this could be TXT’s breakout moment yet on the charts—and the band noted that topping America’s main album chart is a major goal for them. While competition is fierce with new releases from the likes of Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow and more, Thursday’s Child should certainly be another significant step—both commercially and artistically—for Tomorrow X Together.
