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TWS showcases maturity, expands musical range in 'No Tragedy'
TWS showcases maturity, expands musical range in 'No Tragedy'
K-pop group TWS, often dubbed as “K-pop’s champions of youth,” presents a more mature and refreshed image in their fifth mini-album “No Tragedy,” released on April 27.
The album recorded 1.16 million copies in preorders, reflecting strong anticipation ahead of its release. It explores themes of self-determination and love, portraying the members as breaking away from predetermined paths to shape their own narratives.
The lead track, “You, You,” captures the intensity of falling in love with immediacy and clarity. Built around the playful, repetitive hook “Dda-rum,” the song delivers an upbeat sound that builds momentum toward a bright, romantic climax.
TWS is composed of Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, and Kyungmin. The group debuted under Pledis Entertainment in January 2024.
During a media showcase on April 27, the members discussed the album’s concept, production process, and their artistic direction.
Shinyu expressed gratitude over the album’s strong preorder performance, saying, “I heard that the pre-order surpassed 1.16 million copies and we were honestly so surprised and super electrified. I don't think this is just a number, but it's something that pushes us forward. It's a source of motivation.”
Jihoon said the group aimed to present a fresh side of themselves while maintaining their identity. “While we were preparing for this album, we put a lot of thought into how we could maintain TWS’ unique color while also showing a fresh new side. So, we all put our heads together and thought long and hard about it,” he said.
He added that the group challenged themselves musically by exploring multiple genres. “With this album, we were lucky to be able to challenge ourselves with a wide range of genres like house, hyper pop, and boom bap hip hop. And you will be able to see that in this album. As each track unfolds, you'll be discovering new styles. And we're confident that you'll be hooked all throughout,” Jihoon said.
The mini-album contains six tracks in total, including “You, You,” “All the Possibilities,” “Why You So Bad?,” “Get It Now,” “Fire Escape,” and “Back To Strangers.” The project spans house-inspired pop, all-English pop, boom bap hip-hop with punk and rock elements, uptempo dance-pop with hyperpop influences, and a dreamy, slow-building closer.
“For me, when I first heard the lead single, ‘You, You,’ I found the hook really captivating. I think the catchy, addictive hook is the standout element of the song. We hope you love it as much as we do,” said Dohoon.
He added, “The lead single is all about an honest confession of feelings for someone who evokes memories of a beautiful dream. So I try to immerse myself into that context and imagine how people feel and act in a romance show or a movie. So that's how I went on to write my lyrics.”
The release of the album is even more meaningful as all TWS members are now adults.
“This EP is the first release since I turned 20. Now that all six of us are officially adults, you can look forward to seeing a more mature side of TWS moving forward,” said Kyungmin.
For “No Tragedy,” Hanjin, Dohoon, Youngjae and Jihoon took part in lyric writing.
“We did our best to infuse TWS’ unique color into the lyrics. We worked really hard and in particular, we kept our beloved Sai [fans] in mind throughout the process. So, I hope that our love will come through in the lyrics. We really poured our hearts into this album,” said Hanjin.
Youngjae co-wrote the B-side track “Fire Escape,” saying, “The key message of ‘Fire Escape’ is all about the conviction in the one who becomes salvation amid tragedy. And that really resonated with me. I thought I needed more than just my experiences to write the lyrics. So, I came up with a playlist to find inspiration and also looked to the shows I've watched, movies such as Shakespeare's ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and Wicked's Elphaba and Fiyero. So, that's how I tried to get the inspiration for my words.”
Kyungmin said, “And these days we are talking about what kind of message we want to encapsulate in our new album. So this time around what we wanted to do was to infuse our honest stories, our honest voices in the album so that it would reach the heart of many listeners. So I think that's on our mind a lot these days.”
Jihoon added, “We have put a lot of thought into our musical color centered on that youthful concept and the overarching concept of our music is boyhood pop, right? We're ever widening that spectrum of boyhood pop. We don't want to be restrained in a certain genre. We just want to expand our soundscape ever more and we're putting a lot of thought into that. So that's why we want to explore a wider variety of genres and we want to cover a variety of colors.
Third year since debut
They are now into their third year since debut and Kyungmin said they have become more confident.
“Now that we are in our third year in our careers, I think we've gained more confidence when it comes to performance and emotive expressions and we're more liberated in terms of what we do, like our expressions and some of us started to work out. So, you can see that we're more mature in our looks,” he said.
With this comeback, Hanjin said, “With this new release, we want to spark a sense of fluttering excitement in our fans and listeners alike. So, I'll go with everyone's ideal type, TWS.”
Many of TWS’ fans are young and they said they are thankful for the support they have received.
Jihoon said, “Well, first of all, we feel so grateful about all the love and support we're receiving and also about the fact that young fans love our music so much. In my personal opinion, I think it's because of the beautiful melody and the catchy hook that our songs have. I think that is what really appeals to the young fans. And also, our members are really kind and endearing, you know. So, I think that really shines through and that's why all the young fans fell in love with us.”
Shinyu said, “And I think I'd like to say that since our music is all about youth and just like the name of our group 24/7 with us, we're always there, always present with them. And I think that's why a lot of fans resonated with us.”
New challenge
Last year, TWS’ “Overdrive” song became viral through an “aegyo”(cuteness) challenge where many K-pop artists took part in.
For “No Tragedy,” they are also excited about the new challenge.
Jihoon said, “And let me also talk a little bit about the challenge. We have the ‘dda-rum dda-rum’ challenge. That is the one where we use the very catchy hook. I think what's special this time around is that it's a challenge that can spread in different ways. So, it's not just about the dance, but it's about following someone or it's about copying another movement that someone else does. So, I think this challenge can come in many different ways and we want to entertain a lot of people with the challenge.”
Hanjin said he hopes to do the challenge with singer IU.
“If I can have the challenge with any other artist, I love IU. I'm a big fan of IU. I love her music. I love her shows. So, I would love to have a challenge with IU,” he said.
TWS have matured since their debut in 2024 and they were asked the memorable moments that reminded them that they had grown up.
Youngjae said, “Well, first off, we are entering our third year as a group and just like Kyungmin just said, I think we are now more relaxed and laid-back on stage in terms of our performances. We have gotten more mature in terms of our expressions and I think that is one aspect where we've grown a lot.”
“I would like to echo what Youngjae just said and I think while we were putting this album together we felt that our teamwork had evolved a lot. When we just debuted, even when we practiced for hours, there were certain things that were not 100 percent coordinated. But now we can read our minds, we just by looking into each other's eyes, we know what each other is thinking. So I think in terms of that teamwork, we are realizing that we as a group have become more mature,” said Jihoon.
When asked about their goal, Kyungmin said, “I would like to perform at a stadium one day and I would like to connect with a larger audience and just have a blast performing our songs live.“
“No Tragedy” is now available on streaming sites.
