DAY6 – 'THE BOOK OF US: THE DEMON'

Track List:

1. Day and Night

2. Zombie *Title

3. Tick Tock

4. Love me or Leave me

5. STOP

6. 1 to 10

7. Afraid

8. Zombie (English Ver.)

DAY6 has just dropped their newest EP 'The Book of Us: The Demon.' The new mini-album has 8 tracks, including an English version of the title track. This is their 6th EP.

"Day and Night" is the first track on the album, and it didn't really grab me until the chorus. There's a generous amount of falsetto during the main verses. As I'm not a fan of falsetto, the song didn't do much for me. In the chorus, they get enthusiastic and those are the parts I really enjoy. The title track is "Zombie," it's a calmer affair then "Day and Night." After the first chorus, the guitars get more prominent and you can hear the bass more and rhythm guitars seem clearer. It's a subtle change, but a welcome one. It's a quiet tune about feeling emotionally numb. "Tick Tock" is another mid-tempo track and this one feels a bit more contemplative than the other ones. There's a wistful feeling to it as if the singer is looking back. Which is appropriate, because the lyrics talk about the end of a relationship.

"Love me or Leave me" has to be one of my favorite songs on here thus far. Yes, there's falsetto, but they made it sound interesting. It's almost as if it were auto-tuned, I also love how it gets heavier and faster when it hits the chorus. And "STOP" is a reminder of what they can do when given a little push. It's a more rock inspired track. The guitars are crunchier, the vocals more passionate. Every once in a while they bust out a song like this and I think why don't we get more of it? I like "1 to 10," mainly because it starts out soft and ends up harder-edged. They fooled me but this is a seriously cool song, from beginning to end. I'm almost getting the feeling that they pulled out the harder stuff near the 2nd half of the album.

And with "Afraid," I spoke too soon. It's got some harder aspects to it, and it's got this inspirational, hopeful vibe. I like how it starts out quiet then gets more involved when you hit the chorus. Simply put, it is an extremely satisfying song. "Zombie (English Ver.)" is pretty much the same song with re-recorded vocals. Some of the English is not half bad. Young K and Sungjin do the best job of it, but they all do an awesome job when they reach the chorus.

At the end of the day, these guys all seem to pull it out of their collective hats. They've had a pretty good run of hits and these eight songs are no exception. You might have to wait a bit to see them in concert, though. They've stopped promotions and the band is on hiatus. Covid-19? No. Apparently, they're struggling with mental health issues. I wish them a speedy recovery. That's never an easy thing to deal with.

MV REVIEW

The director of this video apparently was not one to miss an opportunity. The MV features a guy who is a literal zombie. There are dark circles around his eyes, he shuffles instead of walking. When he goes out in the street he is passed by people traveling at light speed compared to him.

Fully half the video's runtime is him simply shuffling along the streets trying to get to work. When he finally sits down in his cubicle it doesn't get any better -- even then he's staring off into space. The rest of the video follows him to different places.

Scenes of the band singing or playing their instruments dominates the rest of the video. In the end, it's raining, and the water is seeping in. No one seems to be doing anything about it because they all are acting somewhat listless. They're all technically zombies, as well. Just a different kind. The kind this song is actually referring to.

I enjoyed this video. Not all of DAY6's MVs are this good. They did a great job of conveying what it's like to be a zombie. Not only that, the band did a good job, too, especially considering what they're going through.

In the midst of this crisis, they've given us some small distraction. Something to think about. My Days should know they're not alone. If you're feeling emotionally drained, talk to someone. Anyone. Just know you're not alone.

Score

MV Relevance...........9

MV Production..........9

MV Concept..............9

MV SCORE: 9.0

Album Production.....8

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.5