TXT's 7TH YEAR Is Out. It's Their First Album Since the Group Decided to Stay.
TOMORROW X TOGETHER released their eighth mini-album, 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, today at 6 p.m. KST. The lead single "Stick With You" dropped alongside a music video starring actress Jeon Jong-so - known internationally for her role in Money Heist: Korea - in which the five members chase her through a city, losing and finding her in what the song frames as a last attempt to hold onto something already ending.
The six-track album also includes "Bed of Thorns," "So What," "21st Century Romance," "Dream of Mine," and "Take Me to Nirvana," a collaboration with Chinese rapper Vinida Weng. Four members - Taehyun, Hueningkai, Soobin, and Yeonjun - contributed to the songwriting. "Stick With You," produced by Slow Rabbit and Jondren, is an electro-pop track built around a chorus that Soobin described before release as something the group needed to say out loud: "It honestly captures the thoughts and feelings I had during my seven years."
The release carries weight that goes beyond the tracklist. 7TH YEAR is TXT's first project since all five members re-signed with BigHit Music in August 2025 - a decision that mattered to fans for a specific reason. K-pop groups tend to fall apart around the seven-year mark. It's when initial contracts expire, solo opportunities surface, and loyalties get tested. ENHYPEN lost Heeseung in March. NCT's Mark Lee didn't renew in April. TXT's announcement last summer that every member was staying received a reaction that had less to do with contractual logistics than with relief. Their closing remarks at the 2026 MOA CON in Seoul on March 1 - the anniversary concert where they previewed the album trailer - said the rest: "The team is so precious. We want to keep it together and protect what we've built."
Their chart trajectory gives the comeback real stakes. The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in February 2023. The two albums that followed - The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY and The Star Chapter: TOGETHER - debuted at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. The direction has been incrementally downward, though both albums sold over a million certified units in South Korea. Whether 7TH YEAR reverses that chart slide or extends it will land in next week's Billboard numbers.
The group is scheduled to headline KCON LA 2026 on August 16 at Crypto.com Arena.
