T-ara sought to showcase "two different charms" through Absolute First Album, one embracing a "trendy" image and the other leaning towards a "classic" aesthetic.
Absolute First Album features contributions by Shinsadong Tiger, Cho Young-soo, Choi Kyu-sung (now of Black Eyed Pilseung), Wheesung and "Hitman" Bang.
The success of Absolute First Album lead to T-ara's newcomer wins at the Golden Disc and Seoul Music Awards.
T-ara was formed by Core Contents Media CEO Kim Kwang-soo, and prior to commencing their activities as a group, two members bowed out after contributing a song to the Cinderella Man soundtrack, citing creative differences.
[5] T-ara's debut was made amid an influx of girl groups on the Korean pop music scene.
[7] T-ara would find wider success with their Supernova collaboration "TTL (Time to Love)", a track influenced by southern hip hop.
[10] Core Contents Media brought on Shinsadong Tiger and "Hitman" Bang to produce songs for the album.
The marketing for Absolute First Album revolved around its dual concepts; with T-ara's intent to appeal through "two different charms", the group released the title track "Bo Peep Bo Peep" which was backed by a "charismatic" image, whereas the album's b-side track "Like the First Time" was billed as "colorful yet classic".
[11] Upon the album's release, Core Contents Media conducted an online poll in order to determine the lead single.
[14] The group's first fan signing event was planned for was scheduled to be held at Synnara Records in Ilsan La Festa on December 13.
[16][17] Member So-yeon remarked that though "idol music [follows] the latest trend", adult listeners would be "at ease" with songs such as "Like the First Time", "Apple is A" or "You You You", as they have ppong (뽕)[c] melodies that "stimulate emotion".
[23] The album dips into "retro" territory as evident on "Lies", which is derived from trot,[24] and "Like the First Time", which employs 1980s influences.
[25] T-ara sings in falsetto on the latter track,[26] and parts of its electronic production is "reminiscent" of Aphex Twin and Humming Urban Stereo.
[28] "You Drive Me Crazy",[d] from the Breaking Heart re-issue, is an "edgy" electropop song which has received comparisons to "If U Seek Amy" by American singer Britney Spears.
[39] The two groups formed a project unit consisting of Eun-jung, So-yeon, Hyo-min, and Ji-yeon with Kwang-su, Ji-hyuk, and Geon-il; the single was Supernova's first release in two years.
The single's success prompted Core Contents Media to produce the sequel entitled "TTL Listen 2" with participation from all members of both groups.
[51] The album was subsequently released in Taiwan as a CD and DVD package, with pre-orders that include a file folder.
[52] The lead single, "You Drive Me Crazy", was penned by singer-songwriter Wheesung, with music by Cho Young-soo and Kim Tae-hyun.
[53] Robbie Daw of Idolator drew comparisons to American singer Britney Spears, commenting: "the "Womanizer" beat, the "If U Seek Amy" melody and the wardrobe that looks like it was stolen from the storage unit housing the "...Baby One More Time" video shoot memorabilia.
[25] In a more negative review, Seo Jung-min of K-pop Archive agreed that their music "can't be considered to have its own grammar", and called the album's sound "mechanical and [simplistic]".
Seo further expressed their ambivalence towards girl group hook songs "flooding" the Korean pop music scene in 2009.
[20] Aboslute First Album recorded over 25,000 in pre-orders in less than a week, ranking number one on the Hanteo real-time charts for three consecutive days.
[44][46] From the Breaking Heart re-issue, "You Drive Me Crazy" peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart,[44] holding its position for two weeks.
[75] The re-issue's b-side track "I'm in Pain" peaked at number 31 on Gaon[44] and was downloaded 1.2 million times by the end of the year.