Album Review: Day6 – Daydream

Release Date : March 30, 2016

Tracklist :

1. First Time
2. Blood
3. 놓아 놓아 놓아 (Letting Go)
4. Sing Me
5. 바래
6. Hunt

Total Runtime: 00 : 21 : 42

Recommended for: Listeners who adore the indie-rock genre or crave for relaxing, feel-good music.

NOT recommended for: Those who don’t fancy rock bands and prefer mainstream K-pop tracks.

Rookie band Day6 has returned as fresh and inspired young musicians in their second EP, Daydream.

The album features six tracks that calms and re-energize anyone who is feeling stressed and needs to take a chill pill.

Review

Track 1: First Time

Listening to Daydream for the First Time gives off a raw and refreshing feel. A slow-rock tune and ad-lib start the song. Jae croons his way through the first verse. Wonpil’s sweet vocals lead into the chorus. The band creates an edgier sound as Young K explodes with his passion. Main vocalist Sungjin follows suit, adding a nice transition into falsetto on the line, “I say goodbye to you.” Young K’s rap brightens the song. Wonpil sings about sending his lover away before Jae and Sungjin’s chorus. The bridge features a gorgeous harmony by Day6, where they repeat: “I got to say goodbye to you.” Jae turns up his emotions before Sungjin makes one final kiss goodbye.

Track 2:Blood

Blood is a nice, easy-listening track, which is perfect for an afternoon drive. A percussion beat kicks off the song that’s produced by Jae and Young K. Jae draws first blood with his breathy vocals to get the feels pumping. Wonpil serenades about his confusion before the chorus. Young K uses his airy falsetto, which sounds funkier than a regular rock song. Sungjin breezes his way to end the chorus. Sungjin continues to sing the second verse, where the song drops back to its initial medium tempo. His phrasing of the ‘o’ vowels when he finishes each line is lovely. Jae adds a few adlibs as the tempo quickens again before Wonpil jams through the second chorus. The bridge features Young K’s charming rap. Young K turns up his vocals in the last chorus. To finish, Sungjin and Wonpil use their vocal runs to tell to their ladies that they “Gotta see blood.”

Track 3/Title Track: 놓아 놓아 놓아 (Letting Go)

Letting Go is a track that grips onto the heartstrings and is well-deserving to be the title. In the lyrics and composition there is a sense of struggle to let go of someone important in life. In my opinion, the song may be related to the recently departed member Junhyeok. The song starts off with harmonised vocal runs. Former K-pop Star contestant Jae sings along to a steely guitar tune in the first verse. Sungjin bursts out his inner emotions in the chorus, where his voice blossoms over the soft instrumental. The lines in the chorus, “There’s nothing I can do for you, it’s the only way to make you happy,” and “So I let go, let go, let go,” are truly touching. Young K sings the second verse before Sungjin and Wonpil sing the chorus. It’s Young K’s time to rap in the bridge. He raps about a person deserving to meet someone who’ll make him or her happy but he has to “Say goodbye right now.” For the final stretch, Sungjin croons along to Day6’s harmonies in the background. Wonpil adds more power and a vocal run. Letting Go ends with a sweet, bedtime lullaby tune.

Track 4: Sing Me

This track is a more upbeat rock number, similar to Maroon 5’s style. Jae’s expressive diction leads the way again. Young K wraps up the verse with a nice ad-lib. Wonpil rocks the head-bang worthy chorus. Sungjin finishes the chorus with repetitive lines. An interesting electronica spin occurs before Young K’s rap. Young K has got the swag, even when delivering a cute line like, “Don’t say goodbye baby like Miss A.” Sungjin leads into the chorus with a catchy drumbeat in the background. In the bridge, Jae and Young K trade lines, where Jae uses his breathy vocals and Young K delivers snippets of rap. Day6 belts out the final chorus together before Sungjin executes a few sustained notes and falsetto transitions at the end.

Track 5: 바래 (I Wish)

I Wish is a nice song to listen to while on vacation or during weekends. Fast-paced, vibrant sounding instrumentals and lively adlibs lift up our spirits from the get go. Wonpil’s honeyed tone and Jae’s sassy touch starts the first verse. Young K squeals out, “Cannot change my life!” to conclude the verse. Sungjin and Young K’s chorus is full of life. Day6 delivers more blissful harmonies before Wonpil and Jae sing the second verse. The way they add cute sounds to some words makes the song more fun. Following an epic guitar solo, Sungjin sings the final chorus in a more mellow fashion. Day6 finishes the song with nice “Woo-ooh’s”.

Track 6: Hunt

Day6 show off their funky side in Hunt. The beginning instrumentals and clicking sounds like an old cartoon theme song. Jae’s vocals ooze out with energy and charisma at the start. Young K follows suit, adding a bright bout of falsetto before Wonpil gets his chance to shine. Sungjin makes the song even more cheerful in the chorus. Young K sexily calls his sweet girls his babies to end the chorus. A short instrumental break, where two guitars trade chords, is played before the second verse sung by Jae and Wonpil. Sungjin and Young K repeat the chorus before Young K takes the bridge with his awesome rap. For more impact, he rolls his tongue when phrasing long words. Wonpil asks where his baby is before Sungjin and Young K wrap up Day6’s hunt for some sweet girls. It’s a fun, feel-good song to conclude Daydream.

Day6’s shared passion for music can be heard through each and every track on Daydream. From their complete and addicting instrumentals to their rock-inspired vocals, there’s a whole lot of sincerity and quality in the album. The best aspect of Daydream is that the songs are all very listener-friendly. There is no alarmingly out-of-place song that forces the listener to hit the skip button. However, most songs have the same cooling impact, with not one that is raging hot or outstanding. It would’ve been nice to have one big, killer song like Colors in the album.

Replayability– GREEN

Will replay this album to brighten up the day.

Cohesiveness– GREEN

Album had a nice flow where the mood gradually changed from mellow to energetic.

Originality– YELLOW

Different sound to band seniors in CNBLUE and FTISLAND but slightly similar to The Script and Maroon 5, who are among Day6’s musical influences.