New boy group TWS’s debut album Sparkling Blue chronicles the sextet’s transition from awkward new bandmates (“plot twist,” the lead single) to one another’s “BFF.” As “natural-born ‘I’” guys (as in the MBTI letter marking introverts; “first hooky”), even though they “can’t wait to talk to” each other, they still stand and “count to three at the door” (“plot twist”), but eventually screw up the courage to break the ice (“I finally dare show every side”; “unplugged boy”). In the end, these “I” boys move onto “plan E”—a nod to the letter denoting extroverts (“first hooky”): Instead of giving up and complaining that the “first encounters are always so hard, cause nothing goes to plan” (“plot twist”), they instead “fill up each other’s blank with a bang” (“BFF”). The performance of the song “Oh Mymy: 7s” that the boys put on for their final evaluation pre-debut can be seen in the TWS Prologue video, and as the final track off the album, the narrative takes place after the events that unfold in all the songs.

The same video shows the PLEDIS executives, producers, and SEVENTEEN group members giving TWS their stamp of approval. Now BFFs, the determination is written all over their faces as they sing, “Look at them, all watching us, recognizing us,” and, “What I wanna say is, I hope to see you for long.” But even though they sing about how “7 seconds is enough to take a place in your heart,” their story doesn’t end here—now that they’ve come together as one, they’re only just beginning. There’s no hiding the pressure they’re feeling on the morning of their final evaluation, with one of the members saying, “The day is here. It’s finally here.” They’ve come this far, keeping one another in high spirits as they practice day in and day out, but if they fail to make the final cut, they could be looking at a long time before they get their next shot at a debut. “Who wants to do it with me?” JIHOON asks in his video in the FIRST TIME series, which introduces each of the TWS members. “I want to dance,” he says, opening himself up to an empty chat room. “I want to dream.” The way he dances alone in his room and runs through the streets at night reflects the desperation every trainee feels as they push themselves toward a debut that’s never guaranteed. In HANJIN’s video for the same series, he’s practicing the choreography for “Oh Mymy: 7s” in China all by himself, just waiting for the day he’ll join the group. Like they sing in “unplugged boy” (“So many times that I’ve been down”), the things they went through in the lead-up to their debut must have been punishing—everything they had to struggle through that led up to this moment of performing in front of SEVENTEEN. “Oh Mymy: 7s” became the last song of their first album—a testimony to everything the group went through as trainees to debut. But it also put the group out front and center for all the world to see when it was released before the album dropped. That song gave them a chance to show the world how determined they are; now they’re gearing up to meet their fans once again.

Sparkling Blue is bursting with effervescent excitement, right from the main, sparkling riff that opens up “plot twist.” The clear skies and sea, and the crisp white shirts and shorts in the photos for the Sparkling version of the album are the very image of Sparkling Blue: bright, upbeat, and clean-cut. Then there’s the Lucky version, where DOHOON holds up an umbrella for weather as gloomy as all their faces, as well as the Weverse Albums version, which captures them on a typical day, dressed in hoodies. Everyone wishes every day could be filled with sunshine, but in reality, those gloomy, rainy days still come from time to time. More often than not, though, the members of TWS are just living that typical trainee life. The upbeat and bubbly attitude in Sparkling Blue is less about pulling listeners into a fantasy world without worries, but more about the boys’ determination to protect each other and keep a healthy outlook. The song “unplugged boy,” which plays on motifs from a famous manhwa by Kye Young Chon, has a chorus that goes, “No matter what you got, yeah / I hype you up, let’s do it / We face it all together.” They may appear to be simple and innocent “unplugged boys,” but their true potential lies in their self-confidence and willpower, as seen all the way up to their debut. And that’s how they’re able to redefine what it means to have a “refreshing sound” in K-pop.

The main riff driving “plot twist” starts on a high, bright note, but that part of the melody ends on a lower one, suggesting the weight of the song. Every track off the album is driven by happy-go-lucky beats, but those beats are also hard hitting. In the case of “unplugged boy,” it has the effect of making the song sound cheerful when in fact it’s actually about overcoming sadness and loneliness (“Now I know I’m not the only”). The TWS members draw out their vocals ever so slightly, injecting a bit of sorrow into the otherwise cheerful melody. It’s the ability to convey this kind of emotion that brought the group to the debut stage; they express an entire adolescence, or “boyhood,” filled with training and growth, all through their refreshing song and dance. What did the boys have to go through in the time leading up to their bright, shiny debut? In order to be as good as they are today—jumping around with smiles on their faces during “plot twist,” sitting with arms around each other for “BFF”—they had to learn how to pull off every move with expert precision. No doubt expectations are high for a group coming out of PLEDIS, and they were already proving themselves with their synchronized group dances in “Oh Mymy: 7s.” Impressive as they are, the group’s vibe, as well as each member’s looks and personalities, still have to come second to skill. The root of their communication stems from expressing themselves to one another, eventually becoming a group of friends who can trust in and rely on each other as they set out to pursue their dream. Maybe this is how all artists feel just before they debut—not to mention every teenager who’s both excited and distressed about meeting new people whenever they move to a new school or start a new semester. Like in the “plot twist” music video, a friendly demeanor and kind smile while holding open the door to the classroom comes from within—that, and having the courage to ask another, “What’s your name?” TWS’s debut is simultaneously the story of a group of boys who are out to make friends but are nevertheless in unfamiliar surroundings and feeling lonely. In other words, they may be idols, but they’re also kids being kids in 2024.