DAY6’s New Album: Getting Close and Personal with Your Demons
Back with the latest installment in their near flawless discography, DAY6 has returned to the Korean music scene with The Book of Us : The Demon. Focusing on the trials and tribulations one can experience in life, the album shows DAY6 at their most vulnerable yet, perhaps showcased no better than in their title track “Zombie.”
“Zombie”
There comes a point in life when you just feel burnt out. It can come at a certain age, it can come in waves, it can come from a breakup, an emotional slump, or any multitude of setbacks. In their song “Zombie,” DAY6 seeks to be an empathetic shoulder to lean on in those times when life just seems to drag by. It’s a title track unlike any they’ve released before; absent are the heavy guitar riffs and emotionally-ridden bridges, instead replaced with a muted lo-fi sound. For a band that is...well...very much a band, the lack of actual instruments in a majority of the song is quite startling, which may be the point. By the time the guitars explode following the first chorus, it’s almost cathartic.
The song is simpler in its composition which allows the message to take the forefront as it should, and this not only leads to some beautiful delivery from the vocalists, but also some thought-provoking symbolism. Throughout much of the song, Young K and Jae are paired together, and the same can be said with Sungjin and Wonpil. Young K and Jae particularly have incredibly smooth lower registers, which allows them to start and end the song on a very somber note, leaving Wonpil and Sungjin to build the emotional swells in the middle. The only time the song truly takes a turn is at the end with a surprising key change. In music, key changes are typically used to symbolize a change in feeling or direction of story. In “Zombie,” however, nothing actually changes. The final lyrics don’t offer any resolution to the listener just like there’s no be-all-end-all solution to the struggles of life. In a Q&A about the album, the band stated that though “Zombie” is on the heavier side, it is ultimately meant to be hopeful, so it’s possible this key change is meant to represent the unrelenting hope one needs to have to carry on.
Personally speaking, “Zombie” is not my favorite DAY6 title”?> track and I don’t think it ever will be. But I also don’t think it was ever meant to be. Instead, “Zombie” is meant to be the song that’s there for you when you need it the most. As Jae’s haunting final lines close the song against a soft piano, it feels like he’s right there next to you, reassuring that it’s going to be okay. Being a human can be draining and he gets it. And with a song like “Zombie,” it’s easy to believe him.
The music video takes the message of “Zombie” to a literal level, following the song’s protagonist as he lifelessly moves throughout the phases of his day like a zombie. Although the concept sounds humorous out of context, it’s actually deployed quite well in the video. By utilizing stop motion-like camerawork and interesting shots of the band, the video is a dynamic watch that keeps its viewer engaged without ever feeling over-the-top, much like the song itself. As a visual counterpart to the quiet heartbreak of “Zombie,” the music video is superb.
Inner Demons
The album starts off on a deceitfully light note with “Day and Night,” a song about a seesaw of a relationship where ends consistently fail to meet. It’s a bright pop song despite its frustrating message and does a great job setting up the rest of the album, but the true highlight is Dowoon’s vocals in the middle portion of the song. The drummer has been training his voice for a while in the hopes of joining his bandmates as a vocalist and while he’s been featured on past tracks, this is the first time his voice has blended in so seamlessly. Truth be told, I was so startled when the unfamiliar voice showed up during my first listen and that it took me a couple seconds to even register it was Dowoon singing. He offers a wonderful vocal color to the group and if this is the direction their music is heading, I can’t wait to hear more.
Following “Zombie” is “Tick Tock,” a slow song with swung beats that keeps things at a relaxed pace and sounds like the lovechild of DAY6’s “Marathon” and “About Now.” Much like “Day and Night,” it tells the sad story of the beginning of the end in a relationship. In the lyrics, both lovers know their relationship is beyond repair and the motif of a ticking clock is used to represent the way in which they’re just biding their time until the end. “Tick Tock” is followed by the much more energetic “Love me or Leave me,” which is an okay song in the realm of DAY6 music. Though the song is good, the piercing synths overpower the pre-chorus and chorus (salvation comes in the form of Dowoon’s intense percussion). The energy peaks with “STOP,” a track filled with gritty guitar riffs and DAY6’s classic backing vocals. Interestingly enough, the song is about the same failing relationship in the previous songs, but through the view of an outside party in which the narrator is begging the lovers to come to their senses. Whereas the lovers are romanticizing their struggles and fruitlessly hanging onto their relationship, the narrator in “STOP” sees that their efforts are hopeless.
The album starts winding down with “1 to 10,” an 80’s arena rock song that is powered by its 6/8 time signature. In all honesty, this is not my personal favorite genre for the group, although I do like the synth-filled bridge and Sungjin’s vocals tend to suit this sound particularly well. Speaking of Sungjin, his partly self-written and composed song, “Afraid” is next on the album. It’s one of their softer tracks, with a more organic and acoustic sound, though the electric guitar riff behind the chorus makes the song. Young K’s belting in the chorus does wonders but it’s Jae’s softly delivered “I’m so afraid” before the final chorus that is particularly gut-wrenching.
The album comes full circle with an English version of “Zombie,” which frankly speaking, is the best-delivered English version of a Korean song that I’ve ever heard. As well-intentioned as it may be for artists to record English versions of their songs, most foreign versions are very clearly a directly translated version of the original. Because of this, they can sometimes sound awkward compared to their Korean counterparts. The English version of “Zombie,” however, is a good song entirely in its own right. The lyrics don’t sound like they were put through a translator, but instead read like they were originally written in English and intended for a Western release. Usually, I don’t have much to say about English versions in reviews, but the English version of “Zombie” is a truly unexpected gem on this album and I can’t compliment DAY6 enough on their efforts because of it.
Overall, The Book of Us: The Demon is a well-rounded album that does a great job of telling its story of heartbreak from start to finish. All of the songs complement each other well, making for an album that flows smoothly from the first song to the last—something that I felt personally detracted from October’s The Book of Us : Entropy regardless of how intentional it was. That being said, there might have been fewer standouts on the album because of this. Like any DAY6 album, all the songs are generally very good, and I’m sure I’ll warm up to them individually more over time.
Though the band is not partaking in promotions for the release, they did reveal the album was created with the idea of comforting others in mind, a goal I can confidently say they accomplished with The Book of Us : The Demon. We all have our own demons, but sometimes all you need to overcome them is to realize you’re not alone.