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DAY6: Retelling the paradox

DAY6 shows what makes them special on their new album Fourever by Kim Doheon

“I’m so moved by the stage, I won’t be alone any longer / Among all of the possibilities, thank you for choosing me.” The first song on DAY6’s Fourever, “Welcome to the Show,” which marks the band’s return to full strength after taking three years off for its members to complete their military service, is an anticipatory start. Along with Young K's lyrics, which directly express the overwhelming emotions of the members who did not give up music during the long hiatus as “moved,” the song opens with a synth riff that signals a new beginning for the band, followed by a bright guitar performance with a thumping bass drum. What comes next is interesting. “The future that you’re welcoming with me might be risky. But there might also be tear-filled emotions.” After a thank you reminiscent of an idol’s fan song, Sungjin warns of an uncertain future. Wonpil then creates a twist by saying, “Even so, if you won’t let go of my hand,” and their show begins in earnest. As all members sing the main melody heard at the start, Young K affirms once more in a firm voice. “I promise you this much. I’m going to give my all.” A warm hello from the returning band moves from anxiety and chaos to great joy, becoming a beautiful anthem of promise. Before the first verse of “Welcome to the Show” is over, we can glimpse DAY6’s path traversed, their identity, and a vivid musical surface that hints at the future they will embark upon.

DAY6 is all about paradoxes. They started out by internalizing the clash of values that come with being an idol band from a powerhouse agency. Despite unabated critical views toward the idol bands in the early 2010s, their agency chose to believe in the power of paradox instead of contradiction. To overcome the negative perception, the members, who had never held an instrument before, practiced for more than 14 hours a day, spent more than 100 hours a week performing together, and set a goal of debuting with their own music. Prior to their debut, the band performed small-scale busking gigs and rock festival stages, starting with Live Club Day on July 31, 2015, to get a feel for a real-life experience. Their debut showcase was held at the West Bridge Live Hall in Hongdae area, and they followed a real indie band’s schedule, announcing performance venues on Instagram, performing on the street, and communicating with fans instead of performing for televised music shows. Since 2017, the group started improving self-sustainability by releasing two self-written songs each month with the “Every DAY6 Project,” a steady stream of creative output. Naturally, the attention given to the new band was not as widespread, but through hard work, DAY6 has been able to chart a path to the seemingly incompatible idol band ideal. But the real key is that, in the process, DAY6 has established their own creative perspective and narrative delivery. Paradoxical situations and the process of resolving them are at the center of DAY6’s musical world. They capture universal moments in everyday life from a different perspective. Their debut song “Congratulations” marks the beginning of what is often called “running while crying,” an expression that refers to the songs with lyrics that go against the feel-good beat of the song itself. The person congratulating you for being so great is an ex-lover who coldly abandoned you. “You Were Beautiful,” an iconic staple of DAY6’s discography, also looks back on the good times with a past lover, but there is a dark sense of nihilism that it’s all over. The same goes for “I Smile” from their first studio album, Sunrise. The vow to be invariably cheerful is actually an expression of perseverance to clench your fists and bite your lip to avoid ruining an awkward reunion with a long-lost lover. “I Like You” goes, “The days that go as I wish, there weren’t many.” In “Time of Our Life,” which has become a generational anthem to youth, DAY6 confesses, “I’ll be honest with you. It wasn’t that easy for this moment to come,” in contrast to the bright melody. We can understand why Sungjin chose to share their uncertainty in “Welcome to the Show.” And nowhere is this formula more evident than in “Happy,” the second song on Fourever. DAY6 desperately cries out for happiness in a bleak reality where “Algorithms only apply to successful people” and “I'm sinking. I think I'm going to cry.”

Crises and climaxes are particularly prominent in the compositional stages of DAY6. In “Zombie,” where they are at their most precarious, their nihilism is taken to extremes. That’s why it’s all the more poignant and precious when they finally get their happy ending. They repeatedly question their beliefs about happiness and love, search for answers, and then defend those answers with unwavering faith. It’s a deep sincerity that only those who have fought to achieve and protect something can bear. It’s a journey that starts in “Hurt Road,” where they sing, “You knew and I knew that this is not an easy road. It’s not that you and I didn’t know that not many flowers bloom on this road,” and ends with, “But I can push through as long as I have your love,” in “You Make Me.” “Time of Our Life” says, “I waited so long for this day to come,” and encourages us to write together “a page of our beautiful youth.” “Sweet Chaos” sings of a good love that overcomes a chaotic disorder. This also becomes the case when we encounter the upbeat synth-pop “The Power of Love” as the next song for “Happy” in this album. DAY6’s music matured as their narrative grew stronger. While in the early days, DAY6 centered on Korean indie soft rock and embraced the trendy pop and rock music of the time, they continued to make musical strides by maintaining the appeal of straightforward rock music, adding electronic sounds, and expanding into various genres such as sentimental ballad and jazz. The expansion started with “days gone by,” which took on a 1980s new wave vibe and picked up steam with The Book of Us series, yielding rich musical results like “EMERGENCY,” “365246,” “Day and Night,” and “Love Me Or Leave Me.” The Book of US : Negentropy - Chaos swallowed up in love, their last album as a complete group before enlisting in the military featured a romantic blue-eyed soul song “Only” and an honest love song, “so let’s love,” while maintaining the electronic sound texture throughout. The project that took on a stronger pop feel was DAY6 (Even of Day), a trio sub-unit of DAY6 absent of Sungjin’s guitar and vocals. Wonpil’s keyboard-heavy production brought textures reminiscent of early 2010s bands like WALK THE MOON and Neon Trees, while Young K refined his talents as a singer-songwriter.

With all four members participating in vocals since their debut, they have now found the optimal combination that conveys different sentiments within a single song using their voices. Young K, who writes lyrics, is the vocalist who can most empower DAY6’s music. The range of his voice, which is as strong and cheerful as his bass, has expanded from the raps in their early days to the choruses that now promise the team’s sureness. Having released a solo album, Letters With Notes, with the composer Hong Jisang, who has worked with DAY6 throughout their career, and written “Rose Blossom” for the girl group H1-KEY, Young K is now a fully-fledged singer-songwriter. In contrast, Sungjin, the rough-edged main vocalist, is the pillar of the band. He retains the raw emotion from DAY6’s early days and adds a touch of rock in various areas of a song, from the run-up to the takeoff. The instantly recognizable voice of Wonpil is multi-dimensional. His clear voice creates a zone of coexistence between the innocent youth, the fragile and wounded youth of today, and the youth who desperately dream of the future. Wonpil, who delivered his unique lyricism and presented “A journey” in his solo album Pilmography, is truly a member who “runs while crying.” Dowoon’s drumming is the foundation on which all of this music can be stably unfolded, a vast canvas for DAY6. FOUREVER is packed with the quartet’s inner strength. After the sing-along-inducing “Welcome to the Show” and a cry out of “Happy,” which they must have dreamed of countless times during their long hiatus, they preach the power of positivity in “The Power of Love,” fix their shoelaces and try to forget a breakup with “Get The Hell Out” and run through the track once again with “Sad Ending.” After this youthful rush, the album calmly closes with the romantic “Let Me Love You” and the DAY6 (Even of Day)-esque “didn't know,” looking back on the past and staying true to DAY6’s music. As the quartet didn’t have much time after Wonpil’s discharge last November, they chose to take a style that fans are familiar with rather than bringing big changes, a choice made possible because they had confidence and faith in their masterful work. Tickets for DAY6’s three-day concert, “Welcome to the Show,” held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium from April 12 to 14, sold out in a heartbeat. Referring to their popularity, some entertainment outlets titled their articles “An urgent need of self-grasping.” Jamsil Indoor Stadium is the largest concert venue in Seoul following the Gocheok Sky Dome, KSPO Dome, and INSPIRE Arena, as the 60,000-capacity Seoul Olympic Main Stadium is being renovated. Mobilizing more than 30,000 spectators over three days for a team that hasn't performed as a full group in three years is no small feat. It’s a testament to the public’s support for them. When the articles were trending on social media with their titles, no one doubted DAY6’s status. It wouldn’t be out of place to see them on an arena or stadium-sized stage shortly. The band’s story of overcoming paradox and singing of love and the power in their voices bring them as “one” and make them invincible as their song suggests. In an era where the dark values of mistrust and individualism are spreading, it’s beautiful to see these four men reunited to brighten the world with their music. DAY6 never fails to deliver. I believe in the band and their sincerity.

⤷ 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 ⭑ 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵!

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