Stay for TWS’s Last Bell
Winter has arrived early with TWS’s first single album, Last Bell. This three-track collection is led by the title track “Last Festival,” which reinterprets the 1993 Seo Taiji and Boys classic of the same name. Released on November 25, Last Bell pays tribute to first-generation K-Pop in a fifth-generation context. The single album continues TWS’s schoolboy storyline that started in their January debut with the hit “plot twist.” After stumbling through first encounters in “plot twist” and learning to enjoy others’ company in “If I’m S, Can You Be My N?,” TWS must now make bittersweet goodbyes in “Last Festival.”
TRACKLIST:
“Highlight”
“Last Festival”
“Comma,”
The Title Track: “Last Festival”
Though TWS’s single samples and takes inspiration from Seo Taiji and Boys’s “Last Festival,” the two share little in common. It takes a step back from the energetic sound of its predecessor for a more subdued and chill Afrobeats instrumental. Pledis Entertainment said the song only keeps the original message of “preparing a final celebration for someone special before graduation.” According to South Korea’s Ministry of Education, winter break starts in December and graduations happen in February.
The lyrics lament how peers must part after finding comfort in each other. TWS turns this sorrow into hope by labeling this departure as a new beginning: “Don’t forget the warmth we shared / When we meet again / I’m not at the end,” they sing in the chorus. The music video embodies this message by preparing scenes full of theatrics, love confessions, school graduations, and tears.
The B-Sides: “Highlight” and “Comma,”
The B-Sides on Last Bell bring an upbeat sound. TWS uses the pop song “Highlight” to reflect on the precious memories of school. “Comma” relies on a funky bassline and a band instrumental to tell listeners their story is far from over. The title of “Comma,” calls back to the meaning of “Last Festival”: a comma happens in the middle of a sentence, not at the end.
Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, and Kyungmin have conveyed the highs and lows of teen school years in a short period of time. As with high school graduation, the release of “Last Festival” opens doors for new opportunities. The group’s future concepts will help them grow even further.
Edited by Joi Berry