TXT Debut a Sparkling New Chapter — and Reveal Which Previous Era Their New Album Is a Throwback to (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Tomorrow x Together.Photo:BIGHIT MUSIC

BIGHIT MUSIC

Tomorrow x Together’s latest release is an evolution and a nostalgia play all at once.

The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY(out Monday, Nov. 4), is officially the start of a new era for the K-pop group’s five members — Soobin, 23, Yeonjun, 25, Beomgyu, 23, Taehyun, 22, Hueningkai, 22 — who spoke to PEOPLE ahead of its release.

“To some extent, I think it really reflects us growing up,” says Hueningkai.

“In our past installments, it was more of those magical moments, like ‘Run away together with me,’ or something that could be a little bit less responsible,” adds Taehyun. “But this time around, it’s romantic, but in a sense that it’s grounded and more realistic.”

Tomorrow x Together.BIGHIT MUSIC

Sonically,SANCTUARYhas a sweetness that recalls some of the group’s earliest releases.

“I think you’re spot on about talking about how you thought of The Dream Chapter when listening to this album,” Huengingkai confirmed while discussing their influences with PEOPLE in October. “It’s something new, but it’s something that also provokes nostalgia as well,” he adds.

The lead single, “Over the Moon,” is dreamy pop but includes some very grown-up themes with lyrics about living under one roof and planning for the future. Other tracks, like “Danger” tip into funky Bruno Mars-like territory, or in the case of “Forty One Winks,” more upbeat R&B.

While there’s no real rock or pop punk moments (something they’ve leaned into with great success in the past with songs like “LO$ER=LO♡ER”), “Higher than Heaven” does have a romping pop-rock bent.

The album’s sound isn’t just a reflection of the group’s shifting tastes. “We have this big narrative that overarches every installment in our musical journey,” Hueningkai explains.

Their discography, and the larger lore of the group, incorporates a sprawling fictional backstory that can feel intimidatingly complex for the casual fan. But the themes — the pains of growing up, the reality of facing adulthood, and the heartbreak that so often goes along with it — are universal enough that they come through easily in their earworm singles.

Explaining the meaning of their latest album, for example, Beomgyu says, “It’s a chapter where the boy finally recovers his name and remembers the promise he made with you. And they finally reunite in this album. So it’s the rejoicing that they all feel with this reunion.”

All five members wrote lyrics and music onSANCTUARY,something they’ve been increasingly passionate about over the six years since their debut.

Taehyun admits to doing most of his writing in the car and on planes, amid their busy schedules. They still find space for collaboration though. “We tend to work separately on lyrics, but when we get stuck, we ask for help from the other members,” says Soobin.

Tomorrow x Together in Newark, New Jersey in September 2023.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Seemingly non-stop promotions can be draining, but they’re candid about how they keep their minds and bodies healthy. “Sleeping well is the best thing you can do for yourself,” says Beomgyu. Adds Soobin, “We eat a lot of supplements, too, and try to work out a lot so that we can stay healthy and keep up our stamina.”

That work ethic has gained them a mountain of accolades in relatively short career.

In 2023,they headlined Lollapaloozain Chicago, then performed at the VMAS in New York, where they also took home the award for Push Performance. Their last album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, making them only the second K-pop group to enter the chart 10 times, with the only other being their label matesBTS.

Tomorrow x Together at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August 2023.Ben Trivett

Ben Trivett

Asked if that sort of accomplishment is exciting or intimidating, Yeonjun explains, “We feel both. We feel both elated, and also we feel a sense of responsibility. And I think both are needed, because only when we feel that responsibility can we grow as artists and evolve as artists. So because so many people are giving us love and support, It’s our duty to grow and evolve, and show new sides of ourselves as artists.”

The Star Chapter: Sanctuary is available to stream now.

source: people.com