For years now DAY6 has established themselves as the top K-pop rock band. While there are other successful groups like N.Flying and The Rose, DAY6 has consistently topped them all. The group has the advantage of being backed by JYP Entertainment, who are also in charge of TWICE, GOT7, and Stray Kids, amongst other talents. In K-pop, rock bands are hard to come by, as idol groups that focus more on choreography as opposed to instruments still top the charts in Korea. However, that doesn’t mean that DAY6 and similar groups haven’t carved out their niche.
It was recently announced that DAY6 would go on another world tour, starting in August and concluding in January. The tour has increased in size, with 31 concerts happening this time around. The “GRAVITY” tour is set to head through many continents, playing in the biggest cities. To accompany the tour is the release of their most recent mini-album The Book of Us: Gravity, which was spearheaded by the track “Time of Our Life.”
A Review of DAY6’s Latest Mini-Album The Book of Us: Gravity
The Release and Imminent Tour
I was contacted about reviewing the mini-album and supplied with some information about the release itself. “After the completion of our first world tour, we came to a collective realization that we’d like to incorporate more ‘Concert-Fueled’ music in our archives,” said DAY6 member Jae, when talking about their intentions with the new release.
Personally, the release from DAY6 that has stuck with me the best was Remember Us : Youth Part 2. “Days gone by” was a great ode to older eras of music, whilst making something that didn’t sound dated. B-sides like “121U” and “So Cool” also stuck with me from that release. Since then they’ve also put out the song “Shoot Me.”
For this mini-album, I thought there were many solid tracks. DAY6 has an electric title track, but takes a more calm and collected approach to the b-side tracks. Let’s look over the six latest songs from the five-man K-pop rock band known as DAY6.
Track List
- For me
- Time of Our Life (Title Track)
- How to love
- Wanna Go Back
- Cover
- Best Part
Track 1: For me
The mini-album starts off with a somewhat laid-back track in “For me.” The song is a reflection on the importance of knowing and loving yourself more than anyone else. Initially, I thought the lyrics reflected a practical love song, but the message became clear when Sungjin said: “I will start to love you, I mean I will love me now.” The chorus, which Jae is spotlighted in, includes vocals that I couldn’t stop thinking about. Other members sing the same notes, but Jae is the one who leads them in during every hook.
Track 2: Time of Our Life
The second track of the album, “Time of Our Life,” was also the title track of the EP. In the previously mentioned press release, DAY6 member Young K described the song, saying it’s about “hope and confidence towards the beginning of a relationship. It suggests that we write down the memories in our book of life.”
A Review of the Music Video and Song Itself
The music video doesn’t follow a plot of any sort, it doesn’t have actors or actresses, and it doesn’t have pyrotechnics and explosions. With the simplistic set design, the video very much showcases the performance of the band. We see two sides in the video: one where the members are seen in very minimalistic or basic sets, and the other one where they play on a stage with strobe lighting and projections. I liked the books in the background at points, which went back to the concept of writing down a chapter of your life with someone.
And that’s exactly what the song is about. The lyrics talk about wanting to write down the chapter of your youth with someone in the metaphorical book of life. I like the dramatic changes in the song. While the intro, verses, pre-chorus and chorus are all very different, the changes fit and make sense. You don’t hear it and think “that was a little sudden,” or that it felt out of place. As mentioned before, the title track feels like the fastest and most intense part of the album, with the rest and the prelude being a little more relaxed. The pace feels fitting, with the song being about the most exciting part of your life.
The comeback stage that DAY6 did on M! Countdown is worth checking out. Instead of playing on a normal music show stage, the band played on a circular stage with their fans around them. Also, the fan chants for the song are simplistic but fun.
Track 3: How to love
After the title track concludes, the album winds down for the rest. The title of this song pretty much explains it; it’s about wanting to know how to love. The bridge of the song particularly is good, with Young K going all out with high notes. To nitpick, the only part of the song that I disliked was the some of the adlibs. The crowd-like reverb of some lyrics like “Yes, I’m ready,” would have sounded better as just one other member’s voice instead.
Track 4: Wanna Go Back
“Wanna Go Back” is a song about how we all grow up so fast and then miss being a kid. It talks about how things are simpler when we are younger, but since we can’t go back we’ll just miss it. While the song is relatable, the tone of the song feels somewhat out of place. When I first heard this song before looking into the lyrics, I thought it was a song about something that was good or positive. It feels like there is a disconnect between the lyrics and the sound of the song.
Track 5: Cover
The second last song on the EP, “Cover,” is the closest thing to a ballad that you’ll get from DAY6. The gloomy and sad song feels like the album’s best b-side. I am in love with the bridge from Sungjin that builds up this energy in the song, and the following final chorus that has that extra intensity to it. Some lyrics on other tracks are very on the nose, and this song seems to have a little more finesse to how it says things. Whilst I’m usually one to favor more uptempo songs over slow songs, this song is my favorite b-side of the mini-album.
Track 6: Best Part
The conclusion of the project is an uplifting song called “Best Part.” The song talks about making every day the best so that your life is fulfilled. The song is the only one on this EP that has a nearly lyric-less chorus. I think this song was a good way to conclude the mini-album. They could have ended it with “Cover” like how some people end their projects with ballads, but instead went this route. While there are emotional and sad points of the EP, it enters and leaves on a positive note.
After Listening
From top to bottom, The Book of Us: Gravity is a well put together album. The songs are deeply personal, but staying to the pop theme, it is also relatable to the listeners. While I never thought DAY6 didn’t have “concert-fueled” music, the addition of these songs to their setlist will do anything but hinder their performances. While the best song is the title track, a close second would be “Cover,” which felt like a more emotional and unique track than the rest of the project. As the group is soon going to set out on their biggest tour yet, they have many new songs that should be crowd-pleasers.