Ever since the days to the boy group’s debut on Mar. 4, millions of fans— especially ARMY— have awaited what TXT, Tomorrow X Together, would bring to BigHit Entertainment and the K-Pop world as a whole. Like some other ARMYs, I was slightly worried about how BigHit would handle TXT’s debut. BTS propelled the then-small BigHit Entertainment to international fame with their unique concepts about passionate youth. When I saw the teasers for TXT, I could clearly see that the boy group’s concept was cheerful youth, something I saw over and over with various rookie boy groups. At that point, I was nervous that TXT would only live up to being in BTS’s shadow.

“I think it’s an honor to be the little brothers of BTS,” Choi Soobin, the leader of TXT, said in a press conference after the group’s debut showcase. “[But] I don’t think we’re deserving to be the younger brother of BTS…we’ll work harder.”

Although both groups sing songs about youth, TXT’s debut concept was the opposite of BTS’s debut concept — something that I found intriguing. Compared to their senior group’s harsh raps on the injustices in Korean society, TXT had warm vocals on puppy love and helping others.

“When you are young in adolescence, you feel like you can’t do things but when you meet other people you can,” Choi said. “[This album] is a story about meeting new people.”

TXT’s debut EP, The Dream Chapter: Star, lives up to TXT’s cheerful, refreshing debut in every sense. The instrumentals, while trendy with minor trap influences, also have some interesting gimmicks, such as the Morse Code in “Crown” and the vocal samples in “Blue Orangeade.” Although I did not particularly like “Cat and Dog” because of its mumble rap influences, I appreciated how the producers tried to make mumble rap, normally associated with sad, dark songs, into something peppy and upbeat. All of the songs have a refreshing, energetic feeling, fitting with their concept.

Outside of the instrumentals, I was happy that BigHit’s songwriters have continued to shine in the lyrics for TXT’s album. “Crown” beautifully narrated a tale of an outcast finding self-acceptance through a devil-angel metaphor. Lyrically, it was the strongest in the album and showcased their concept best: cheerful, healing youth.

For a debut, it was typical for a K-Pop group. Though there was nothing in particular that piqued my interest, it will be a good stepping stone for their success in the future. I believe that TXT will soon find their sound and stand out shining as another pop group from BigHit.