TWS Comes of Age in “Countdown!”

Photo: Pledis Entertainment

Pledis Entertainment’s most youthful act TWS, short for “Twenty Four Seven With Us” is back with their latest mini-album Try With Us. 

The young boy group is fresh off a whirlwind rookie year, launching into stardom after their January 2024 debut with viral “Plot Twist” and rounding out the year bagging MAMA 2024’s “Best New Male Artist” award in November 2024. Latest comeback Try With Us nests TWS in their now-signature, youthful sound, starring bright synths, a lively hook, and an upbeat, fast-paced childish playfulness.

As they enter their second year, with an established fanbase and two mini-albums full of boyish, cheerful songs, TWS hones their sound and their “plot” (if you will) with their newest title track  “Countdown.” In their prior single release Last Bell, the members Shinyu, Dohoon, Youngjae, Hanjin, Jihoon, and Kyungmin bid goodbye to their school years and turned to face their latest challenge: adulthood. Now in Try With Us, they come of age, “counting down” to their 20th birthday, the age of adulthood. “Countdown” is teeming with anticipation. The song’s landscape, of course, includes that catchy, synth chorus that is now a staple in TWS’s burgeoning discography. The members dance explosively, all jumps and high kicks, fireworks lighting up as they 1, 2, 3, countdown! to a new bright future. The lyrics mirror “don’t wanna hesitate” and the interludes of spoken word declare, “I think this will be really fun!” 

TWS owns their sound, and it's nothing if not earnest. As members Hanjin and Jihoon genuinely turn 20 years old, “Countdown,” and subsequently Try With Us, overflow with that naive excitement of one on the cusp of growing; they’re blossoming artists on the fringes of youth. It’s as much summer fun as spring solstice, relishing the changing of tides and the thrill of time. 

The B-sides explore both the rowdiness of their newfound freedom and its softer, sensitive edges. Synth-pop introduction “Lucky to be loved” pairs an EDM beat with dreamy, softer vocals for a more relaxed, sensitive track that relishes in the upsides of life and gratitude. It’s a rose-colored lookback on one’s youth.

Proceeding “Countdown,” the boys enter the chaos of young adulthood. Standout pop-rock track “Random Play” relishes their newfound freedom. It’s road-tripping time, and “Random Play” brings TWS’s springtime heart to a track crafted to be listened to with the windows down, the volume up, and your friends crammed into the back seat. 

“Freestyle,” true to its name, is funk meets goofing-off. With a sharp tempo change in the bridge and a chanting chorus (“freestyle, freestyle, du-gu-dum”) paired with high, running vocals, “Freestyle” brings that cheeky fun to post-school living. “Now Playing,” another mid-tempo synth track, is well-structured, bringing out a faster tempo as the song picks up. Like its counterparts, “Now Playing” is rich in storytelling, depicting a late-night movie watched with friends. 

The final track, “Go Back,” continues TWS's synth-pop origins with a funky running guitar line and rich vocals. It’s a punny finale, with the chorus “go back” sounding like the Korean term “고백” (gobaek), or to confess (typically to one’s love/crush). “Go Back” concludes the album, but not TWS’s journey, overflowing with anticipation and bookending a joy-ride of a mini-album, with all the potential of the future on the horizon. 

Try With Us is just that: trying with sincerity, telling the story of young boys on the cusp of adulthood dipping their toes into freedom. TWS enters their second year with a keen boyishness and a hunger for what’s in store – Try With Us leads the charge unabashedly.