TXT tops music charts with 'The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE'

K-pop quintet Tomorrow X Together (TXT) / Courtesy of Big Hit Music

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is going strong on the music charts, with its latest release, “The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE,” dropped Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, “FIGHT OR ESCAPE” sat atop iTunes' album chart in 15 countries, including Sweden, Turkey, Mexico and Brazil. The album's lead single, “LO$ER=LO♡ER,” also ranked first on iTunes' top song chart in 16 countries, with its music video surpassing 5 million views on YouTube only 10 hours after its release.

“FIGHT OR ESCAPE” is a repackaged version of the five-piece act's second studio album, “The Chaos Chapter: Freeze,” which was released in June. It is the last part of TXT's “The Chaos Chapter” series.

“LO$ER=LO♡ER” is an emo-pop punk tune about a boy ― a “loser” in the eyes of the world ― who nevertheless wants to become the lover of someone whom he sees as his salvation. The song portrays the boy's struggle to fight in or flee from the world, according to TXT's agency Big Hit Music.

“The explosive chorus and addictive hooks are the gems of this piece,” member Taehyun said during an online press conference, Tuesday.

Leader Yeonjun made raps for the track at the suggestion of producer Bang Si-hyuk, the founder of Big Hit Music.

“It was a huge honor to take part in the creative process,” he said. “I was inspired by British dark comedy-drama, 'The End of the F***ing World,' and tried to come up with mournful expressions for the raps.”

Aside from “LO$ER=LO♡ER,” the album also carries 10 other tracks, including TXT's first English-language song, “Magic,” and “MOA Diary” (Dubaddu Wari Wari), a number dedicated to its global fan club, “MOA.”

During the session, Yeonjun also revealed that TXT feels a sense of burden as the “brother group” of K-pop sensation BTS, which is often dubbed “the biggest boy band on the planet.” TXT and BTS are represented by the same record label, Big Hit Music.

“We are really glad to hear good news about BTS, but sometimes we feel pressured by their musical success,” he said. “Nonetheless, we are trying our best to rise above this… We believe that in the future, we may be able to prove ourselves through our music and performing.”