Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai of TXT. Image: Twitter/@TXT_bighit
Temptation is often tied to evil — where you get sucked into a connection that feels so wrong yet your insides convince you otherwise. Tomorrow X Together, also known as TXT, indulge with the fantasies of a fairytale to bring this mature theme into life through their latest mini-album “The Name Chapter: Temptation”.
TXT, composed of members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai, departed from their angsty selves from “Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child” as they embarked on their maturity, without losing sight of their dreams.
While the record seems to be a detour in maturity, the title track “Sugar Rush Ride” is a satisfying combo of sweet and spicy, as the members get dizzy in the ecstasy of temptation — which can be heard in the seductive “gimme gimme more” in the chorus. The title seems innocent for curious listeners, but the song details how it feels to be unconsciously drunk in someone’s presence, where you find yourself getting swept away even by someone’s “devilish smile.” They soon realize they’ve fallen into the darkest depths of temptation with its closing line, “What did you do to me, sugar?”
“Devil by the Window” is a fitting entrance to TXT’s newest world as they chance upon temptation for the first time. Probably, the highlight can be found on Kai and Soobin’s breathy vocals saying “You can’t get off the ride / A wolf in sheep’s clothes / His disguise.” Compared to its groovy beat, their voices get softer — as if they’re gasping for air once they give in to temptation completely.
The group shifts gears with “Happy Fools”, giving the impression that they’ve fully accepted their fate. The chorus is proof in itself, as Taehyun and Yeonjun sing their hearts out about being “I’ll be the laziest Superman / So follow me / The pleasant taste of laziness / Is very sweet / A dream-like guilty pleasure is right in front of me”. The song is a collaboration between the group and American rapper Coi Leray, and it features writing credits from Yeonjun itself — as if showing off that he’s confident of being a fully-grown man.
TXT then plays with their innate ability to be relatable through “Tinnutus (Wanna be a rock)”, as they croon about wanting to be a “rockstar minus the star”. Probably one of the group’s best b-sides to date, as they play off with their storytelling skills where it seems to be mundane among the everyday listener — but it turns out to be real after all.
Sadly, getting drunk in pleasure is fleeting as “Farewell, Neverland” mimics the crushing reality of needing to grow up. While all members expressed this phenomenon, there’s something about Yeonjun’s “My last refuge/ I hoped for endless flying / It’s the end, it’s true” that stands as a faithful nod to Peter Pan and a reminder to its listeners that one day, we have to move forward with our lives and hold on to youth as a happy memory.
Since their debut, TXT has a knack for producing songs that mimic the highs and lows of growing up. And while “The Name Chapter: Temptation” is shorter than our liking, it covers a theme that deserves to be made known in the general public. Everyone goes through a temporary moment of ecstasy — where they give in to their deepest and most carnal desires at some point — but they sadly have to open their eyes to reality. And eventually, move on.
And that is the magic of Tomorrow X Together as artists. EDV