Here are my credentials (again): I would consider myself a fan of Day6, sure, having heard a good amount of their singles, some b-sides, and watching a bit of B-T-S content. I’m also a fan of Jae’s solo career. But I haven’t had the chance to experience a comeback in real time yet, and now that the members are back from military service, I figured now was a good chance for a deep dive. So let’s get into it!

(Part One)

Single #7: July

We left off halfway through the “year of Day6” and just before Hi Hello, which has always reminded me of the kind of song that plays after a Broadway show’s intermission. I feel similarly about it as I do with You Were Beautiful; it’s perfectly nice, but nothing I’m going to go out of my way to listen to, and nothing I’m going to complain about either. And despite being the single for July, something about it makes me think of the winter holidays; maybe it’s the chimes? But overall, I like the music video better than I like the song.

I also enjoyed the b-side from this single, the appropriately laid-back, made-for-summer Be Lazy.

Single #8: August

What Can I Do is the first part of a series of music videos that can best be described as Day6 creating their own kdrama. To summarize (very briefly): there’s a cute girl with a crush on YoungK (the “bad boy”, oh my), and the girl’s best friends with Jae. Sungjin has a (reciprocated?) crush on the girl and Wonpil (who has the “sad gay pining” look down) has an (unrequited?) crush on Sungjin. And meanwhile Dowoon is getting mobbed by admirers but wants nothing to do with them. I’m explaining this now so my later notes make more sense. 

On to the song though,  I think it’s often overlooked in terms of the monthly comebacks. It’s a bit like two songs in one. There’s the classic rock of its verses, backed up with harsh vocals and a distorted guitar. And then, out of nowhere, there’s the surprisingly carefree whistling leading into an upbeat chorus. Normally, I decry this kind of switch, complaining that it ruins a track, but I actually really like this one. I’m not entirely sure why it works so well when others like it don’t, but nothing feels out of left field. The lyrics themselves are about unrequited love, so the conflicting structures fit in well with them.

Single #9: September

I Loved You is a bit like You Were Beautiful Part 2, to be honest, and you might think that down this route also lies boredom Part 2, but you’d be wrong. Instead, it builds on the good that YWB had; it keeps the palpable emotion, the heartbreak, and all the conflicting emotions that Day6 is so good at expressing in their work, tying it with this great building nostalgia and a slightly harsher rock edge. This music video continues the storylines, showing us Jae chatting up a cute barista, YoungK and Dowoon becoming friends (and maybe liking each other?), and more sad gay pining from Wonpil (who is hanging upside down on monkey bars for reasons unknown) after Sungjin leaves him for the girl. On the song side of things, I really liked Sungjin’s voice here; it toes the line of gravelly and gentle, which is a perfect fit for a song like this.

The b-side, I’ll Remember, is another song more on the rock-ballad side of things, and is also pretty good.

Single #10: October

When You Love Someone is a track that, to be honest, I always forget exists, which is a bit unfair because there’s nothing wrong with it. It isn’t irritating, isn’t grating on the ears, and isn’t based on a pet peeve of mine, which are the usual reasons I dislike songs. In fact, it’s almost aggressively pleasant. But there’s nothing that special about it either. It kind of just moves along, made to be in the background while more important things are going on. And maybe that’s the point, because it’s such a down-to-earth story. In the music video, YoungK and the girl get closer, Sunjin confesses his feelings and gets rejected, and Wonpil comforts him. Because life goes on, even if you don’t want it to. 

My hidden gem was I Need Somebody, which is as painfully emotional as you’d expect, and frankly, would’ve made a better single, different from the others but still very Day6. 

Single #11: November

All Alone is probably the most straightforwardly “sad” track of the monthly series, from the title itself to its melancholy guitar to its quiet vocals. The words themselves sound lonely in such an empty song, only backed by a little harmonizing, a tambourine, and occasional quiet strumming. It’s almost peaceful, in a way, if it weren’t for the pain expressed in the lyrics. There’s still this layer of nostalgia, as all the members are finally together and moments from the three previous music videos reappear, retelling the story and making it into one that says that everyone is looking for connection and love, whether it be from a friend or a partner. It’s a genuinely sweet message; I just wish the song had a bit more force behind it.

Single #12: December

Better Better is the final single of Day6’s monthly series, which is quite a lot for a song to live up to, but it manages. It takes the best of all the months that have come before it, the emotion in All Alone, the quiet beginning of Hi Hello, the upbeat sound of Dance Dance, the quick footed beat of How Can I Say, and the cautious optimism of I Smile…and makes it, well, better, baby. (Sorry, had to). It’s also one of my favorites from the series. I love the way it crescendos and comes back down in such a satisfying way. Really, Better Better is the perfect ending, the song that plays over the credits at the end of a movie while you revel in how good the show was.

EP #3: Youth Part 1

Shoot Me was one of the first Day6 tracks I heard, and it’s quite an introduction. It goes for much harsher rock than any of their titles have so far, and it’s all the better for it. Shoot Me isn’t anthemic, anthemic is Shoot Me. But seriously, though, it’s tough to branch out your sound while still keeping your identity as an artist, but this does, and does it well. That moment in the bridge where the instrumental pulls back before they explode again in one huge clash is fantastic, and I dare you not to sing along. To do a song like this, you really, really need to sell it, and Day6 does that perfectly; it’s so delightfully dramatic in the best way, and I fully believe in it. My favorite voice in this one was probably YoungK’s, because of the incredible amount of power it manages to carry.

Youth Part 1, in my opinion, is one of Day6’s strongest EPs. There’s not a single song that feels out of place or weaker than the others, from the bombastic opener Warning to the laid-back Talking To. My hidden gem would have to be Somehow, though, which delivers on the upbeat pop-rock sound that Day6 has perfected through their career, in a bittersweet fireworks show that I’m sure would be a crowd favorite in concert.

EP #4: Youth Part 2

Days Gone By, as befits the name, is sweepingly nostalgic and sunny. It often reminds me of the phrase “for old time’s sake”, with its fond reminiscing, and now that Jae’s left the group, it never fails to make me a little emotional. It sticks in the rock-pop sound for sure, but has a more mature feel as it looks back on the past and walks towards the future. It’s so interesting how it mixes influences like surf-rock and motown and modern k-pop trends to make something that feels both retro and timeless, a great fit for a song looking back at days gone by. It’s another I feel is very underrated when it comes to their discography, and I gained a new appreciation for it in this review.

From the EP, I enjoyed the frenetic energy of Headache, the drawn-out choruses of 121U, and the jazzy influences in Marathon.

Next time, we’ll be doing Part 3, which should be the last one. Tschüss!