Release Date: April 4th, 2018
Tracklist:
- Everyday
- Air
- 여보세요 (Hello)
- 손만 잡고 자자 (Turn Off the Light) [Mino Solo]
- La La
- 애 걔 (For)
- 예뻤더라 (We Were)
- 사치 (Luxury)
- Movie Star
- Special Night
- Raining
- Have a Good Day
Recommended for: Those who love a good mix of Winner’s debut style and their current style.
NOT recommended for: People who hate ballads, tropical house, or trap – separately or combined.
Just a year ago Winner had managed to make a dramatic stylistic change. While their origins are rooted in melancholy laced ballads and variations of pop, Winner now touts a major tropical house vibe, with releases like Really Really, Love Me Love Me, and Island all displaying a similar color: catchy electronic beats with a shameless beach vibe.
Now, with the release of their second full album EVERYD4Y, Winner continues to roll with their 2017 style that delivered major hits, proving the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Track 1 – Everyday
Do you like your tropical jams with a side of trap beats and a bit of autotune? If so, Everyday might just be the track for you. But if you’re more into the smoother, more pop vibes Really Really and Love Me Love Me gave off, then Everyday might take a little bit of warming up to. While the chorus sticks in the head easily, it’s the questionable sprinkles of auto-tuning perfectly good signing voices that might be a bit much for most. It’s a track that takes some time to digest, and could easily be one of those songs someone either loves or hates with no in-between.
Track 2 – Air
Air provides a listeners with a song that beautifully balances Winner’s new with their old. It has a nice vocal focus like their older tracks, but it still has that tropical pop element we’ve been seeing from Winner most recently. To make it even better, Seungyoon’s unique vocals really shine in every way on this track, making it one of the best on the album.
Track 3 – 여보세요 (Hello)
Let’s be frank; out of the various songs Winner has released over their nearly four year career, this one takes the cake for the worst yet. It’s a surprising thing to hear from Winner, as the good majority of their music is some of the best one can find from a boy group in k-pop today. But Hello just really misses the mark. Too much autotune, too weird of a trap beat, awkward ad libs, and just overall a skippable track.
Track 4 – 손만 잡고 자자 (Turn Off the Light) [Mino Solo]
When is Song Mino going to stop blessing us? I mean really, every solo this man has graced the planet with has been awesome. I’m Him? Perfect. Body? The ultimate sexy bop. Now Mino has veered from his usual edgy rap style to something a little slower. In Turn Off the Light, Mino raps and sings about desire over a soft beat and a light electric guitar. If you’re looking for a side of Song Mino you didn’t see on Show Me The Money, Turn Off the Light is just perfect for you.
Track 5 – La La
Starting off with gang vocals and plenty of positive vibes, La La is perfect for when you wake up in the most joyful mood. Containing many of the same instrumental elements as their 2016 single Sentimental, it carries a similar vibe and feel with just a little extra kick of energy, and is by far one of the most feel good, energetic pop songs on the album.
Track 6 – 애 걔 (For)
A dramatic change of pace from the preceding track, For is driven by an acoustic guitar and a light orchestral elements. If you’ve been missing Winner’s ballads, this track is really a huge reminder of songs like Color Ring and Empty, and it really allows for Seungyoon and Jinwoo’s vocals to shine.
Track 7 – 예뻤더라 (We Were)
Admittedly, We Were feels slightly like a filler track. On the other hand, it definitely feels like something you’d hear in a drama after two characters broke up and are now reminiscing over every aspect of their relationship. If you’re into the typical k-drama OST music feel, We Were is just your cup of tea. If not, you will certainly find other tracks on the album that you’ll play much more often.
Track 8 – 사치 (Luxury)
At this point you might be starting to wonder, “Who in the studios of YG Entertainment got trigger happy with the autotune?” Luxury is the third track on the album that’s heavily saturated with the stuff. While it was slightly awkward in Everyday, and slightly off in Hello, Luxury is a track that actually manages to pull it off relatively well. It fits the vibes well, and it really makes it a nice summer, pool side track.
Track 9 – Movie Star
Movie Star really shines on this album because it has such a fresh feel. There’s a certain element of a track you’d hear in a musical that you get from the piano, but the other elements make it a refreshing, powerful pop-rock track. There’s a lot of mixing of genres in this song, but it meshes well; making it one of the best produced tracks on this album.
Track 10 – Special Night
What’s so special about Special Night? Well, it’s simple; it’s the best song on this album. Seriously, Winner pulled off this 80’s pop influenced track so well. It’s fun, it’s light-hearted; it’s nothing but good, and it’s a style that Winner should really look into doing more often in the future.
Track 11 – Raining
Again, this is one of those tracks that really sounds like their 2014 releases. So much so, that it sounds like it would fit right in with their first full album, 2014 S/S. It’s got those familiar acoustic guitar and piano elements and the same melancholy vibe. And much like the title suggests, it is the perfect song blast through your headphones on a rainy day.
Track 12 – Have a Good Day
Have a Good Day wraps up the album on a somber note, with the raw heartbreak of a death being laid out for listeners. It’s beautiful in every way possible, with every bit of emotion dripping from each line. A comfort to those who are coping with a loss, Have a Good Day pulls at the heartstrings like no other Winner song before it.
