''Sparkling Blue'' is the debut

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) by South Korean boy band TWS, released on January 22, 2024, through

Pledis Entertainment Pledis Entertainment () is a South Korean entertainment company founded by Han Sung-Soo in 2007. The label is home to Bumzu, Hwang Min-hyun, and groups Seventeen and TWS. Its name originates from the Pleiades, a star cluster in the constellat ...

. It was promoted by the singles "Oh Mymy: 7s" and "

Plot Twist A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist ending or surprise ending. It may change ...

". It debuted atop the

Circle Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Koreabased on their Record sales, physical sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, ...

and at number three of the Japanese

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

Background and release

In January 2024, Pledis Entertainment proceeded with their plans to launch TWS, the entertainment label's first boy group in nine years, since Seventeen's debut in 2015. The music video for the song "Oh Mymy: 7s" served as the first preview for TWS' EP a few days before its official release. Several teasers and activities, including a highlight medley, a product endorsement deal with

Lotte Chilsung Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., Ltd. () is a drink manufacturer in South Korea affiliated with Lotte Corporation. The company's name, Chilsung (), signifies "Big Dipper" or seven stars, and its logo displays seven stars aligned in a row. History Ch ...

Milkis Milkis () is a South Korean soft drink produced by Lotte Chilsung, a South Korean beverage company. It combines many of the common elements of traditional carbonated beverages such as sugar and carbonated water with milk to create a creamy tas ...

, and cover features on Japanese magazines ''Ray'' and '' ViVi'', were also revealed to promote and build anticipation for TWS' first EP. On January 22, 2024, ''Sparkling Blue'', a five-track EP that embodied the sound of "boyhood pop", was released alongside the music video for its lead single "Plot Twist".

Critical reception

Writing for ''Osen'', Kyung Jimin commented that the EP was "impressive", remarking on its natural and friendly musical tone and likening it to "a conversation with friends during break time". ''

IZM ''IZM'' () is a South Korean online magazine that publishes pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Stre ...

'' Han Seonghyeon scored ''Sparkling Blue'' three out of five stars, commenting that although the quality of the EP was decent, its title track "Plot Twist" overshadowed the rest of its tracks due to the album prioritizing achieving a "consistent mood" as a goal.

Commercial performance

''Sparkling Blue'' debuted at number one on the South Korean

, where it sold 237,606 copies in its first week. The EP also debuted at number three on the Japanese

and number four on the ''Billboard'' Japan Hot Albums chart. In the United States, ''Sparkling Blue'' opened at number eight on the

Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

chart and number 32 on the

Top Album Sales The Top Album Sales is a music chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine listing each week's top-selling albums in the United States. The chart has been published since December 13, 2014, although the magazine also retrospectively recognize ...

chart.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2024 debut EPs Korean-language EPs 2020s Korean-language albums Pledis Entertainment EPs TWS (group) EPs