7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns review/analysis
On dreams and thorns at the milestone of the seventh year.
Seven years is a huge milestone for a K-pop group; not many can say to have survived intact this landmark in their career, often characterised by the difficult process of contract renewal. Not for TXT though. TXT arrive at this important landmark with the same passion and genuine love for their music and for each other, to the point that contract renewal discussions amongst the members only lasted “fifteen minutes”, as stated by Taehyun.
TXT’s path till here wasn’t an easy one: the pressure after debuting, the “privileged” accusations, the covid epidemic that prevented them from enjoying the best of their rookie days with their fans and that shifted those live experiences such as concerts and tours to an indefinite future; it was a path full of thorns, and yet TXT’s resolution was firm: to stick to their dream, to stay together as five and continue making music for one more day each day.
A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns represents that moment when TXT, after wrapping up their 7-year long narrative of boys growing up, take a break — a moment of calmness amidst the thorns of the past years and the anxiety of the future, to reflect upon the path they have walked till now and the one ahead: “after living a busy life with doing our work, we stopped and looked at ourselves; it’s the time we could see ourselves from a third person’s point of view” (Taehyun).
The album that begins the new chapter of TXT’s career reflects the members’ honest emotions experienced throughout this seven-year journey; the story narrated isn’t filtered anymore by the point of view of a “boy”, but it’s TXT’s own story, told with their own voices, from their own hearts: “this album focuses on the real emotions felt over the past years and through contract renewal; its characteristic is that the five members themselves become the narrators, rather than a narrative of a boy’s growth” (Huening Kai).
If the albums so far had, at times, a magical, fairy tale-like vibe to them, this new album is more raw, introspective and mature: it’s full of thorns, and of dreams. The whole aesthetic of the album revolves around the imagery of thorns: thorns are used as a metaphor for the inner anxieties and doubts TXT have felt throughout their career so far — their struggles, the uncertainties of the path ahead, the weight of expectations and the disparity between their dreams and the harshness of reality.
The theme of anxiety isn’t new to TXT’s storytelling: they have delved into this aspect of youth throughout their previous narrative, but this time this anxiety comes from an inner place, from their honest emotions conveyed through six lyrically meaningful tracks, sonically tied together by an underlying electronic sound that develops across a variety of genres — a sound TXT have never explored quite so deeply. As always, the five-member group never shies away from experimenting with new music while still retaining their unique and defining colours; it’s new, and yet it’s still, undeniably, TXT: TXT in their most honest and raw version yet.
The thematic depth of this album is introduced right from the concept trailer, which sees the members narrating with their own voices lyrics from the classic Korean folk poem and song “Thorn Tree” by Poet & Village Chief. “There are too many versions of myself within me”: throughout their seven-year career, TXT have had to balance their public idol image against their inner anxieties and uncertainties. These conflicting identities are metaphorically represented in the concept trailer through the image of a person full of thorns and a thorn tree, whose branches scrape against each other whenever the wind blows, causing them pain: “whenever the wind blows, those dry branches scrape against each other and cry”.
The concepts that complement the album visually represent these “many versions”, with each one capturing a different inner state: the hunger for success even amidst the chaos, the tension between their dreams and the scrutinising gaze of the outside world, the anxiety toward their career and future path. Binding these visual narratives together is the main concept thorn, a callback to the leitmotif of the album with the members posing in dynamic ways to figuratively express the imagery of the thorns.
The title of the album “a moment of stillness in the thorns” — or, more literally translated from Korean “when the wind briefly stopped in the thorn bush”, represents thus that rare, temporary moment of calmness when the wind finally stops blowing, a brief moment of relief from the pain, hurt and inner chaos, where the members can finally rest and reflect on themselves and their journey so far.
This temporary moment of calmness serves as the foundation for the music itself. As expected from the group celebrated as “stagetellers”, the tracks on the album are meticulously arranged to form a cohesive storyline — a journey of self-acceptance, a process that begins with facing the thorns on your chosen path and accepting them in order to keep holding onto the future and your dreams. Despite being deeply grounded in TXT’s personal experiences, from Bed of Thorns to Dream of Mine, 7TH YEAR is also an emotionally introspective journey anyone can relate to, that encourages us to reflect on our own thorns, uncertainties and anxieties, and to face them, accept them and move forward.
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Bed of Thorns: as the opening track, the song sets the tone and overarching theme of the album — that of embracing the struggles on a chosen path, while facing and accepting the consequences and the pain that might come from our own choices: “I’ll face it with my whole body, all the hurt, pain [...] I made my bed of thorns, I willingly lay myself down”.
Driven by a powerful yet elegant electronic production, and reminiscent of the haunting and sophisticated atmosphere of songs like Opening Sequence, it’s a track about acceptance and responsibility, showcasing the members’ newfound maturity right from the start. The members chose to become idols, and at the milestone of the seventh year, they chose to still be idols. It’s a difficult path, but being on stage, making and performing their music together as five is still their dream, a dream they hold on tight one more day each day, as they sing in the following track and the lead single Stick With You.
Stick With You: the title track is a catchy, soft electro-pop song that captures the yearning emotions of wanting to hold onto a love that is ending for one more day — as expressed by the Korean title “하루에 하루만 더”, literally “one more day each day”. Sonically, the track is structured to evoke both a sense of pending anxiety and a fierce determination to keep chasing one’s own dreams; this duality is especially striking in the pre-chorus, where the beat and rhythm of the song are built to create a breathless momentum, making it feel as if the members are literally running while singing.
If on the surface Stick With You is, in fact, a love song, on a deeper level it is much more than that: it serves as a testament to TXT’s desire to stick with each other and MOAs, and continue making music together “just one more day, then one more till I make it a lifetime”. It’s about their shared determination to hold onto their dreams and keep moving toward their future one day at a time: “this song can also be interpreted as the team’s sincerity toward their dreams” (Beomgyu).
The song is accompanied by a cinematic music video (for a detailed breakdown read this analysis from tmrw magazine) that portrays a lover’s fear of being abandoned for someone else, only to discover at the end that the “other one” was always himself, in a powerful, psychological twist that shows us how the threats and fears we perceive around us are often just the product of our own inner anxieties. Ultimately, the music video teaches us to accept and break free from these inner feelings, a message explored in the album’s third track Take Me To Nirvana.
Take Me to Nirvana: the third track of the album features Chinese artist Vinida Weng, whose ethereal vocals create a mystical, transcendental atmosphere like an enchanting spell as she invites the listener in right at the start: “Have you ever dreamed of a sweet escape? Just close your eyes and open your heart. Nirvana”. Paired with an upbeat yet soft techno-EDM rhythm reminiscent of the music you’d lose yourself to in a club, the track delivers a message of liberation, of letting go of all your worries and just live in the freedom of the present moment: “sinking into this moment, beyond all earthly worries, shedding the shell off my mind, as if about to take flight, reaching a state of ecstasy”. The repetitive chorus feels almost like a mantra or a prayer for freedom: “take me to nirvana, free from all the karma, live inside the moment, you can’t find it elsewhere / starry eyes I’m dreaming, have a sip of freedom, take me to nirvana”.
While in TXT’s previous narrative salvation was always found in someone else (“you” or “us”), here comes the realization that the only one who can save you is yourself. This marks a profound and mature shift in their storytelling, proving that only by facing and accepting your own fears and anxieties can you truly stand on your own: “I finally set myself free”.
So What: arguably the most raw and honest song TXT have ever released, So What serves as an unfiltered expression of the members’ true feelings throughout their seven-year career, reflecting upon their dreams, the crushing weight of reality, and the pressure of the public’s judgement. Ultimately, “so what” represents a defiant state of mind, an attitude the members have reached after going through much struggle and pain, as they realise that no matter what everyone else says or how hard it is to pursue their dreams and how uncertain their future might be, they will stay true to themselves and keep moving forward, tossing away all worries: “It doesn’t matter what anyone says, my attitude is so what [...] It doesn’t matter, does worrying put food on the table?”
Blending synth-funk rhythms with modern hip-hop vocal delivery, So What is the closest TXT have ever come to a diss track; however, instead of dissing their haters, they are uplifting themselves above all the hate and judgement: “It doesn’t matter if there are mixed opinions, so what? [...] It doesn’t matter, we just make the music we want”. These lyrics resonate deeply with what the members affirmed during the interviews that preceded the making of the album: success that comes from changing our colours isn’t really ours. The modern industry may reward the shallow tiktok music that’s so trendy today, but TXT will stay true to the artistic identity they have built throughout these years.
At the milestone of the seventh year, TXT’s dreams and passion for music haven’t faded: “It’s still beating, my heart. That’s all that matters”. What for many idols in this industry may represent the finish line, is just another beginning for TOMORROW X TOGETHER: “The climax, the ending, not yet”. As long as they have each other and MOA by their side, they’ll continue moving forward on the path they have carved for themselves: “Oh it’s you, my reason [...] with you by my side right now, we run down this endless road”.
21st Century Romance: as the most sentimental track on the album, this song conveys a poignant message of following one’s own inner voice amidst a world saturated with noise. In a century filled with excess and emptiness where “I can’t find anything at all”, in a world of 0s and 1s — a brilliant reference to both the world of chaos in 0X1=LOVESONG and our modern society where human connection has been replaced by sterile digital spaces built on binary code —, even romance seems something abstract, “a momentary soulmate, like a foam bubble”, destined to vanish without a trace.
True “romance” in modern age is the one that comes from blocking out the outside noise and tuning into the frequency of our inner voice: “amidst the abundant noise the world makes, if I can hear my own sound, it’s a 21st century romance”. An alternative r&b genre, the track is built on a minimal instrumental and a sweet, almost sacred melody; the engine sound at the beginning of the song and the stark sonic contrast between the almost empty instrumental filled only with a raw, gritty bass sound and the members’ heavenly, layered vocals perfectly matches the lyrics’ meaning of finding your inner voice against the backdrop of an empty yet noisy world.
Metaphorically, the song beautifully captures the desire to follow one's own path despite the surrounding reality: “my voice I’d been faintly forgetting, beyond this excess, following the faint signal coming through / searching for warmth [...] listening closely to the sound within me”.
Dream of Mine: at the album’s closure, TXT find the reason and the determination to keep moving forward toward the “tomorrow I once envisioned, even if it turns out differently”. The members vow to keep chasing their dreams, full of wonder: “I’m wonderlust, I dream every day” / “eyes gleaming full of curiosity, it’s always been a dream of mine”, they sing in Dream of Mine (“I’m a dreamer with memories of stars” they sung back in The Name Chapter: FREEFALL).
“No I’m not afraid to love, no I’m not afraid to fall” Huening Kai powerfully sings in this track that merges rock with electronic influences, taking TXT’s signature genre to a step beyond. TXT are no longer afraid to feel, even if it means being hurt again; their resolution to keep chasing their dreams is stronger: “the more it hurts, the deeper the breath I take; even if I’m lost, I'll trace my own path”. The anxiety they once felt toward an uncertain future becomes excitement toward the infinite possibilities of an open-ended story: “anxiously excited, I long for the next next”. Even in the face of uncertainty, their curiosity and excitement about where their chosen path will lead them become the reason to move forward, to “throw myself into the unknown”.
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As the Korean title of the album suggests (“when the wind briefly stopped in the thorn bush”) the wind stopping is just momentary, the thorns’ stillness will not last forever. As TXT sing in the opening track Bed of Thorns, anxiety, fears and uncertainties will come back, but as the members took this “moment of stillness” to reflect upon their journey and accept the thorns that came with it, they have grown a little bit more, as they have now accepted that these feelings are part of who they are: “the wind will come again, but I’m breaking free”. TXT have come to fully embrace the choices they’ve made, along with the pain that came - and may come again - with them: “even as I’m endlessly scratched and wounded, it’s proof that I am who I am now”.
“TXT has always felt like a team that keeps moving forward. In the past albums, they told stories of boys trying to take one more step toward tomorrow” — reads an article on weverse magazine; in this album, as the title song says, they express their desire to “keep chasing their dreams one day at a time”. “We’re still curious about what comes next. We think we can do even better”, they say. Because as much as every milestone and every achievement is gratifying and important, “TXT’s beauty lies in the process itself” — in the unique path the five of them have created for themselves, a path they have walked and will keep walking together.
“what I want for the future, what I hope to see at the end of the path that I have walked so far… I want to maintain this team for as long as possible and continue to be happy with the members while we work” - Yeonjun.
All translation credits belong to @TranslatingTXT