With an entirely different essense from their lovesick 2021 album, The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE, TOMORROW X TOGETHER returns with the dark, edgy mini-album minisode 2: Thursday’s Child. The album consists of five emotion-filled tracks to detail a story of heartache and the stages of grief.
Members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai creatively contributed on each of the album’s tracks, with Beomgyu additionally credited as a co-producer on the final track, “Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go.” Their involvement during the creative and producing process proves the steady evolution of the group and their various skill sets as they present a darker, cultivated concept.
Kicking off the album with the alternative R&B track, “Opening Sequence,” a soft piano melody and delicate vocals descend into a deep, low bass when recalling lingering memories from a lost love. Engulfed by feelings of hurt and denial, the group sings the grueling line, “You in the faded film, your gaze that erased me/ Stay for me, stay for me, stay for me/ I can’t get used to it, used to it, used to it.” The lyrics, melody, and emotionally distraught vocals provide an intimate and hypnotic look at the aftermath of this broken relationship.
Following the solemn opener, the title track, “Good Boy Gone Bad,” explodes with an angsty rock melody that exudes the next stage of grief: anger. Full of fury, the group aims to prove their unbothered emotions by transforming from timid and innocent to mature and fiery. There comes a moment in the grieving process when feelings of sadness become shadowed by the burning desire to move on. The members become increasingly numb to the pain as they express, “This broken feeling’s not too bad/ Better than those pathetic days.” A complimentary music video works to emphasize their metamorphosis to the dark side by portraying anger and revenge slowly engulfing them through a series of contemplation and acts of rage. From Soobin cutting his hand as a result of punching a mirror, to Yeonjun crashing a motorbike due to reckless driving, their sanity slips away alongside their good boy persona.
From explosive fury to delicate frustration, “Trust Fund Baby” takes a complete 180 degrees from the previous track, slowing down the energy to provide an earnest extension to their previous track on their The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE album, “LO$ER=LOVER.” A soft, gentle melody accompanies feelings of despair and desperation as the members cry, “Why can’t that life ever be mine?/ An empty wallet with the name of a heart/ That is even more empty than that/ Lover with no dollar sign.”
“Lonely Boy (The tattoo on my ring finger)” finds itself on the album as TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s first unit track. Sung by the eldest member, Yeonjun, and the youngest, Heuning Kai, the two share a ballad to reveal emotions of regret and contemplation when thinking of their breakup. The lyrics, “I left a stamp with a sharp needle/ Not just my fingers, but also my heart,” uses a sorrowful metaphor to explain how just like tattoos, painful memories have the ability to haunt forever.
The final track on the album, “Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go” closes out not only the EP, but acts as an uplifting goodbye to the emotions and feelings of this unmendable relationship. A play on the old Mother Goose nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child,” Soobin, Beomgyu, and Taehyun use this synth- pop track to compare the experiences of life to the days of the week, listing their own methods of coping and healing. With the words, “A smile that blooms from my tears/ A moment that will unfold again,” the members share a moment of optimism as they look towards a brighter tomorrow full of promise and new opportunity.
Perfectly capturing the modern stages of love, heartbreak, and healing, TOMORROW X TOGETHER continues to display their diverse artistry and the ability to offer new, daring concepts for fans. A bridge between chapters in their discography, minisode 2: Thursday’s Child leaves fans in anticipation for what lies on the horizon.