Tomorrow X Together wants to tell its own story

Four years into its career, Tomorrow X Together is ready to open a new chapter and officially tell their own stories. The five members — Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai — introduced their fifth EP ...

Boy band Tomorrow X Together poses during its showcase on Jan. 26, 2023 for its fifth EP "The Name Chapter: Temptation" at the Coex Auditorium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [BIGHIT MUSIC]

Four years into its career, Tomorrow X Together is ready to open a new chapter and officially tell their own stories.

The five members — Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai — introduced their fifth EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” on Thursday during a showcase at Coex Auditorium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. The new EP, set to be released on Friday, comes about nine months after its previous release.

“It took a while to come back, and I’m thankful for MOA [the band’s fandom] for waiting for us with trust,” said Taehyun. “As much as we prepared for a long time, we’ll show high quality works.”

Tomorrow X Together's concept photo for "The Name Chapter: Temptation" [BIGHIT MUSIC]

Tomorrow X Together’s previous EP “minisode 2: Thursday’s Child” and lead track “Good Boy Gone Bad” sing about the members' experiencing heartbreak for the first time, then deciding to take off on a journey to find themselves. “Name Chapter” will start by telling the story of various temptations the members face during their journey as they head toward self-growth.

“We’ve always come up with conceptual storytelling albums,” said Soobin. “One theme encompasses every song on the album. Listen to our new tracks in order, and you’ll be able to feel that story of growth.”

Boy band Tomorrow X Together performs its new lead track "Sugar Rush Ride" during a showcase on Jan. 26, 2023 for its fifth EP "The Name Chapter: Temptation" at the Coex Auditorium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [BIGHIT MUSIC]

The members opened the showcase with their new lead track "Sugar Rush Ride,” an alternative pop dance number with a catchy guitar and whistle riff. Incorporating a verse from the traditional Korean pansori (musical story telling) “Chunhyangga,” the song describes facing sweet temptations, complete with sharp mood changes throughout the song.

“We thought it’s a song that Tomorrow X Together can excel at and show new sides to us,” said Yeonjun. “I thought it was hard for refreshing and sexy to coexist within one song, but this song does it well, in a tactful way. I worked on my facial expressions to match that.”

Boy band Tomorrow X Together performs its new lead track "Sugar Rush Ride" during a showcase on Jan. 26, 2023 for its fifth EP "The Name Chapter: Temptation" at the Coex Auditorium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [BIGHIT MUSIC]

As of Wednesday, “The Name Chapter: Temptation” surpassed 2.16 million copies in pre-orders alone, setting a new record for the boy band.

“I was shocked when I saw the news,” Hueningkai said. “It really made me grasp how much love we are receiving. We want to say thank you to MOA who gave us this precious result.”

The EP features five songs in total: “Devil by the Window,” “Sugar Rush Ride,” “Happy Fools (feat. Coi Leray),” “Tinnitus” and “Leaving Neverland.” Members upped the ante for their participation in production. Yeonjun wrote the melody for B-side track “Happy Fools,” while all of the members joined forces to write the lyrics.

Boy band Tomorrow X Together poses during its showcase on Jan. 26, 2023 for its fifth EP "The Name Chapter: Temptation" at the Coex Auditorium in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. [BIGHIT MUSIC]

“Producer Bang Si-hyuk [of the band’s agency BigHit Music and HYBE] told us to reflect our experiences in the song,” said Hueningkai.

“It's about how we want to grow, but at the same time we don't, because the process is painful. So it’s about the foolishness of staying complacent.”

“I took inspiration from my personal ‘dark times,’ when everyday felt like the same and I felt stuck,” said Beomgyu. “I might have seemed lost, but I also think we all need a time in life like that.”

The members did not hide their ambitions to reach the next high points in their careers.

“They say dream big,” said Hueningkai, “so in the future, I want us to top the Billboard Charts, and win No. 1 on the music program ‘Inkigayo’ on which Yeonjun is the emcee, so we can perform an encore together.”

“Goals are meant to be set big,” added Yeonjun. “I want us to receive the grand award [at a music awards this year].”

Tomorrow X Together's concept photo for "The Name Chapter: Temptation" [BIGHIT MUSIC]

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]