in a few hours, txt will release their first album after contract renewal titled ‘7th year: 가시덤불에 잠시 바람이 멈췄을 때’ (lit. when the wind briefly stopped in the thorn bush / english title: a moment of stillness in the thorns). in korean ‘가시덤불/thorn bush’ figuratively means “the hardships and sufferings of life”; this album contains their honest emotions about the past 7 years. the hunger for more, the inevitable tension that arises within relationships and from surrounding gazes and the anxiety of what the future holds. in the korean music industry, there’s something called 마의 7년 (the cursed 7th year) and the phenomenon is called so because of entertainment industry contracts lasting 7 years and a lot of k-pop groups not making it past that contract term, in tact with all their members or at all. although txt renewing their contract didn’t come as a shock to moas given their dynamic and love for their job; as people in the industry, it’s a very anxiety-ridden time for them. members of a group having such perfect synergy with each other is definitely not a common thing when you look outside the txt bubble. this is also the first time txt is releasing an album after the end of their storyline, which means the concept of the music is just them. it’s just txt. which is also why they keep saying they’re anxious about the reactions. because they worked really hard on it (like always) and it’s an album that’s especially meaningful to them. while you can’t control how the public perceives their music; i hope that as a moa, you’re able to keep these things in mind while perceiving the album. we keep talking about the “txt boom” but it’s because this is truly a new beginning for them. so let’s do our best for our boys who always have that determined & ambitious rookie mindset and create an environment that ease these anxieties of life, for both them and us.