Starting off the week is TX T who returns today with their latest single, Good Boy Gone Bad. The new single is featured on the group’s fifth mini-album, Minisode 2: Thursday’s Child, which also dropped today. Good Boy Gone Bad follows on from a very successful 2021 for TXT, where they released their second studio album, The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE, and its repackaged version (titled The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape), which featured the singles 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) and LO$ER=LO♡ER respectively.

TXT amps up their rock influences from last year and adopts a much more aggressive and angsty demeanour with Good Boy Gone Bad. And I am all for it. The group sings about how they changed following a breakup, from being a good boy to now a bad boy. And they show that change through a very different take on the genre that propelled them further into the limelight last year. I liked (and also found it slightly funny) how the group reiterated the fact that they had change by constantly repeating the title of the song, just in case we didn’t get the message the first time around. I personally do not mind the repeated ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’, and I don’t mind them shouting that at me. But I would say that some people might find it a bit too repetitive and not like it as much. Anyhow, Good Boy Gone Bad starts off with a hip-hop approach to the verses, before kicking it up a notch with the rock influences for the choruses. To match the aggressive direction of Good Boy Gone Bad, the group approaches their parts with force, powerfully singing throughout and even shouting (as already mentioned) during certain parts of the song. I enjoyed the loud whispery lines that appear once in the chorus. It brought nice texture to the song, especially in an already abrasive environment. I also quite like the pre-choruses, as they have a ‘calm before the storm’ sort of setup, with both instrumental and vocals toning it down considerably. It allows the chorus to be more explosive as a result, which Good Boy Gone Bad undoubtedly benefits from. I am also glad to hear some rapping in this song. It was something I was looking for last year and I felt the intense rap sequence in the bridge of this song really hit the nail on the head. Overall, Good Boy Gone Bad further satisfies that rock extension that I was wanting from last year, through stronger and powerful execution.

The music video takes on a very dark and sinister look, which logically makes sense given the bad boy change that the group undergoes. I really like the sets and locations in this video, from the alleyway to the cemetery to the dance set with big eye in the background. Definitely hits the brief and looks super cool. I also like the camera shot from the hole in the ground in which the members stand around (see my featured image for this post). It was definitely a scene that left a strong impression me. That Yeonjun scene where he lies down after his motorcycle crash and rises back up (from the dead?) uttering the line ‘I like being bad‘ was also a memorable scene. It also helps that his visuals were on point in this video, as so was the rest of the members’. A strong music video, overall.

A few things to point out with the stage performance for this comeback. Firstly, I really liked the aggressive nature (particuarly the start) to the performance. It does fizzle out as it went on, and I attribute that to the copious amount of energy that the members put into the choreography, which would naturally tire them out. But they did a good job of embodying one of the most prominent vibes from the song. Secondly, their stage presence was amazing and really captivated me. And thirdly, their facial expressions, particularly Yeonjun’s, makes this performance worth watch. Overall, definitely another strong routine from the group!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10