[This review reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of allkpop.]

Track List:

1. DAWNDIDIDAWN (Feat. Jessi)

2. Still (Feat. Crush)

3. Tantara

4. Butterfly

5. Ordinary Night

A triumphant return from the former PENTAGON member, DAWN, is now under new management and has released EP, DAWNDIDIDAWN. As many reviewers have stated online (and I feel similarly), DAWN seems to be the new generation G-Dragon. The similarities between his bouncy cadence and G-Dragon's is truly unparalleled, and it's unavoidable to ignore when listening to his EP. 

The album's title track, "DAWNDIDIDAWN," has signature PSY songwriting characteristics, and I wasn't surprised to see his name listed when I hit the 'show credits' tab. Compared to the rest of DAWN's album, I thought this song actually fell flat, particularly with Jessi's verse, which did the song little to no justice at all. Her repetition and lackluster raps kind made me want to stop listening to the title song.

Luckily, another feature from none other than R&B crooner, Crush, saves track 2, "Still." DAWN slows the tempo down after "DAWNDIDIDAWN," and we're thankful for that. Crush's smooth voice cuts well against DAWN's cutting rap style and gives the song nice contrast. However, I still feel like I'm listening to G-Dragon.

"Tantara" immediately grabbed my attention with the super capturing horns! Then the infectious and melodic guitar riff comes in to complement the 808 patterns, and it's perfection. I want to mail the production team of this song a bouquet of flowers because as soon as he whispers "Tan-tara-tara," and the harmonica hits, I have the equivalent of a spiritual awakening. This is one of the best written and most experimental releases of this year, and I LOVE it.

"Butterfly" is a close second for my favorite song after "Tantara." The song has a nice bouncy progression, but even better has amazing lyricism and a certain alluring cadence that makes it so satisfying. The two seconds of silence before the throwback G-Dragon style instrumental drop gives me flashbacks to One of a Kind. Closing out the album is "Ordinary Night," which is the slowest song on the album, but doesn't even really count as downtempo. This song made the least impact on me but has a bit of that old '80s retro vibe in the chorus that's been popular this release quarter in K-Pop.

MV REVIEW

Not to continue this G-Dragon propaganda, but even DAWN's video for "DAWNDIDIDAWN" exudes some GD energy. The swagger and the way he dresses outlandishly definitely help the case for the similarities between them. The major difference is that DAWN's more hip-hop way of carrying himself is slightly different from GD's more "I am the greatest" vibe. 

The video itself is simple. The budget you can tell wasn't outrageous, but for what they had, they were able to capture a vibe and aesthetic that was purely DAWN. Jessi's part was minimal, but you could tell the two are close friends through the MV's interactions. Overall, the MV matched the song's energy and concept decently.

SCORE:

MV Relevance…..7

MV Production…..6

MV Concept……..6

MV Score: 6.3

Album Production…...8

Album Concept……...8

Tracklisting…………...8

Album Score: 8

Overall: 7.2