With TWS: making their comeback tomorrow (!), I thought I wrap things up related to TWS: debut back in January this year. And with their debut single plot twist and follow up single BFF reviewed, that leaves the album review. Now, I know I made promises to review the pre-release Oh MyMy:7s in the usual song review format. But after considering whether to write the album review or that review (and with their second mini-album in mind), I chose the former to keep things moving along. All three songs are featured on the mini-album Sparkling Blue, which also features 2 additional side tracks (taking the total number of songs to 5).

As a debut mini-album, Sparkling Blue is probably one of the strongest first steps I have ever seen. You have a super trendy title track that has attracted a lot of attention and resulted in a lot of fans. The side tracks on the album introduces us further to TWS: via a consistent wholesome and youthful manner. As such, Sparkling Blue has also become one of the strongest album releases of the year, thus far, in my books. The best bit of the mini-album is that it gets me excited for what is to come for the group. And excitedly, we won’t need to wait for long to find out.

1. plot twist (만남은 계획대로 되지 않아) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for plot twist. (9/10)

2. unplugged boy – Usually, an all-English song becomes part of a KPOP group’s repertoire later in their career. But TWS:’ all-English unplugged boy pushes this boundary by being present on this debut mini-album. unplugged boy is a really pleasant vocal track from the group. The instrumentation goes down an alternative pop route, with hints of playful and youthful vibe throughout the track. I really like the smoothness that the members and melodies work together to bring out in this song. Things just glide along in unplugged boy and I liked that effortless listening experience that the song brings about. (10/10)

3. first hooky – first hooky turns up the upbeat dial a few notches. It is another pleasant side track from TWS:, but the track takes us down a groovy and retro-like motif with its synth work. Further to that, I really enjoyed the fact the members sang so fondly of playing hooky (skipping school) for the first time, that the rapping really captured the groovy vibes well and the “Maybe, I really wanna kick it with ya” is quite a catchy hook. But the best part of first hooky has to be its bridge. I always find Kyungmin and Youngjae’s vocals in this part to be so decadent. I just find the melodies in first hooky to be slightly weaker. But that is a minor drawback in what is another amazing side track. (9/10)   

4. BFF – Click here for the full review for BFF. (8/10)

5. Oh Mymy: 7s (Pre-Release Song) – Oh Mymy: 7s is actually the one song on the mini-album that feels like it channels modern and contemporary trends, resulting in a track that is more focused on its accompanying performance. Bouncy bass with percussive synth work was the dominant and most prevalent sound in Oh Mymy: 7s, but we also got some atmospheric backing for the pre-choruses, and fulfilling and brighter synth work following the choruses. The good thing is that they all meld together to create a cohesive track. The vocal work and rapping were good, but more riveting material have emerged since this pre-release track. The chorus probably is the most lackluster part of Oh Mymy: 7s. It sounded good the first time around and ended up catchy for a while. But on this occasion, repeat listens since January (on this occasion) have made it unexciting and bland. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10