TOMORROW X TOGETHER trades lore for raw emotion on 'Stick With You'

K-pop boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) performs lead single “Stick With You” during a press showcase for its eighth mini album “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

K-pop boy band TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) returned Monday with a more inward-looking record, its first release since renewing contracts with its agency BigHit Music last August, as the group enters a new phase in its career.

The five-member act — Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai — unveiled its eighth mini album, “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns,” led by the emotionally charged single “Stick With You,” a track that lingers in the uneasy space between holding on and letting go.

Known for weaving expansive fictional universes across releases like “The Dream Chapter” or “The Chaos Chapter,” and multiple “minisodes,” TXT is now stripping things back.

Instead of lore, the members are stepping forward as themselves, channeling years of ambition and quiet doubt into the music.

Members of K-pop boy band TXT, from left, Soobin, Huening Kai, Beomgyu, Yeonjun and Taehyun pose during a press showcase for its eighth mini album “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

At a press showcase held Monday in Seoul, the group described the album as the result of candid conversations with their production team that were less about concept-building and more about taking stock.

“As we entered our eighth year, it wasn’t as glamorous as people might think,” said the team’s eldest member, Yeonjun. “There was always anxiety about the future, and this constant urge to go higher. I think that’s something anyone can relate to.”

Beomgyu framed the project as a turning point.

“After seven or eight years, you start asking yourself what you really want, and what’s actually possible,” he said. “This album captures those thoughts, but through our own lens.”

K-pop boy band TXT performs lead single “Stick With You” during a press showcase for its eighth mini album “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The title of the new work distills that sentiment. “Thorns” point to the unease and pressure that have followed the group since debut, while “a moment of stillness” suggests a brief but hard-earned pause.

That tension runs through its lead single “Stick With You,” an electro-pop track built on vintage 909 drum sounds and edged with techno-punk elements. The song centers on a love that is clearly ending, yet stubbornly clung to — a dynamic the group sees as mirroring its own drive.

“It’s that familiar feeling of knowing something is over, but still not being able to let go,” Soobin said. “We wanted to show that kind of desperation, but in a way that still feels powerful.”

“It can also be about chasing a dream,” Beomgyu added. “That same sense of not wanting to let go.”

K-pop boy band TXT performs lead single “Stick With You” during a press showcase for its eighth mini album “7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns” in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Onstage, the emotion is sharpened through choreography that leans heavily on tutting, with precise hand and arm movements tracing the lyrics.

The music video brings that tension into sharper focus, with actress Jeon Jong-seo, known for films including “Burning” (2018) and “Ballerina” (2023), appearing opposite the members.

“I heard she was quite shy, but once filming started, she completely transformed,” Soobin said. “Watching that switch, I realized what it means to be a real actor.”

The album also arrives at a symbolic moment. Following their contract renewal, the group is stepping into what it has repeatedly described as a new chapter. Taehyun said the decision to stay together came quickly.

“It took less than an hour for us to agree,” he said. “We all wanted to keep going as a team and stay with our fans. It felt obvious.”

He added that the group sought advice from RM of BTS, who offered perspective drawn from experience.

“He revisited old materials with us and shared thoughtful advice,” Taehyun said. “It was very reassuring.”

From left, K-pop boy band TXT members Huening Kai, Yeonjun and Taehyun perform “Stick With You,” the lead single of the group's latest album, during a media showcase in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Seven years in, if there is one thing TXT remains intent on holding onto, it is not just a sound or a concept, but each other.

“I hope that at the end of all this, our team is still there,” Yeonjun said. “I want us to keep going together for a long time.”

Huening Kai put it simply: “We believe in this team. And we want to keep growing, together.”