TWS are saying their bittersweet goodbyes to 2024 with Last Bell – one last offering for the season – and indeed, what a last hurrah befitting this “Year of TWS.”

Last Bell (Korean title: ‘한겨울 밤의 꿈,’ literally “midwinter night’s dream”) is the first single from SHINYU, DOHOON, YOUNGJAE, HANJIN, JIHOON, and KYUNGMIN. The release draws the curtain on a momentous first year for the PLEDIS Entertainment rookies.

Since debuting at the beginning of 2024, they’ve made an indelible mark with their megahit debut track 'Plot Twist' (첫 만남은 계획대로 되지 않아) and charmed more fans with their sophomore outing SUMMER BEAT!

Just recently at the 2024 MAMA Awards, they bagged the trophy for Best Dance Performance (Male Group) and was newly minted as the Best New Male Artist – cementing their status as the ones to watch. They also accomplished these feats alongside their PLEDIS seniors, SEVENTEEN, who won big with 2 Daesangs: Artist of the Year and Album of the Year.

“It was all thanks to the efforts of the staff and our [fans,] 42s (사이), so we're going to take this as a gift – from them to us,” said Jihoon at the showcase coinciding with the single’s launch (25 November).

Leader SHINYU commented on the events of 2024 and dealing with the pressure that come with unprecedented success. “I'm really grateful that people love our songs, and of course that adds pressure,” he said. “But that was a really exciting [kind of] pressure, actually. That gives you motivation to work harder and helped us become tighter amongst ourselves.”

KYUNGMIN, the youngest member, also took stock: “With our first mini album [Sparkling Blue], we tried to showcase who we are to the audiences, and with our second mini album [SUMMER BEAT!], we wanted to repay the overwhelming amount of love that we had received. So, we tried to do that, and we were very, very happy and felt rewarded with that.”

“And with this new single, we want to wrap up this year in a perfect way,” he added.

Their newest title track, ‘Last Festival’ (마지막 축제), is an ethereal, synth-driven jam inspired by the Seo Taiji and the Boys’ 1993 track of the same name. Sonically, it is quite wintry and melancholic while also sparkly and assured at the same time. Think: the pensiveness of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence’ with a dash of TWS’s signature “boyhood pop.”

‘Last Festival’ conveys bittersweet farewells and signals the bright new beginnings that come with such parting – as the chorus goes, “When we meet again / Like you've always known / Say hello again.” (다시 만날 그때 / 다시 만날 그때 / 낯설지 않은 듯 / 또 인사해 줘)

KYUNGMIN, the youngest member, said: “Since this song captures the tinge of sorrow that comes before graduation, while also capturing the excitement of new emotions, we had to deeply understand and convey that bittersweet feeling.”

For the members, this meant translating the lead single’s emotional core to a nuanced performance – whether through the music video or on the live stage.

YOUNGJAE explained, “We tried to express goodbye in a way that isn't overly sad. I believe the original song conveys the sentiment as well, but sonically, we completely reinterpreted the song with our own unique touch, so I believe you'll experience an entirely new vibe.”

“We try to not just focus on the sadness of the farewell,” JIHOON added. “When it comes to the sounds or the visual elements, you'll be able to see the uniqueness of TWS.”

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The members shared an interesting and telling factoid behind the scenes, involving an annotated commentary on a PDF file lovingly prepared by Chinese-born member HANJIN. “It was a little difficult for us to align on a single direction, so I translated each line to fully understand the lyrics,” he explained. “After I understood the lyrics perfectly, I wrote down all the emotions that I felt and highlighted the facial expressions that I thought would best convey those emotions and certain parts of the song.”

DOHOON elaborated, “In the beginning, you have to look sad because you have to say goodbye to everyone – you know, that tinge of sadness because you have to say farewell… Then the lyrics go, ‘when we meet again, let’s say hi as if we never parted,’ that’s when you wear a big smile, reflecting the brighter future ahead.”

Two B-sides round off the short but sweet offering. ‘Highlight’ (너의 이름: ‘your name’) is a buoyant romp very much in the vein of classic TWS. Meanwhile, ‘Comma,’ (점 대신 쉼표를 그려) is a glimpse at the next chapter in the boys’ journey – “draw a comma instead of a period,” as the title suggests.

As to what this next chapter holds, everyone will have to hold their breath. But the members promise only giving their best and growing more as they look to their laurels.

“We are going to try even harder and remain strongly committed to our music and our performances,” said JIHOON. “And since we won the [2024 MAMA] Best Performance Award, this really brings home the message that we have to be even better when it comes to bringing stunning performances.”

Check out photos from the Last Bell media showcase here: