''Sparkling Blue'' is the debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(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 actress Nana, Hwang Min-hyun, Baekho, and K-pop groups Seventeen and Fromis 9. Its name originates from the pleiades, a star ...

. 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 or surprise ending. It may change the aud ...

". 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 album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or an ...

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 ...

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 one of the largest drink manufacturers in South Korea and is part of the Lotte Corporation. The name ''Chilsung'' (''chilseong'', , ) means "Big Dipper" (literally seven stars), and the company's logo is an e ...

Milkis Milkis (Korean: 밀키스) is a 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 ...

, 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".

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 Top Heatseekers are "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 by new an ...

chart and number 32 on the

Top Album Sales Top Album Sales is a music chart published by ''Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas suc ...

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