REVIEW Album Review: DAY6 - The Book of Us: The Demon

Dragon of the West

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ALBUM REVIEW: DAY6 – “The Book of Us: The Demon”
Written by: Dragon of the West
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DAY6 is a five-member boy band from JYP Entertainment who debuted in September 2015 with the pretty iconic song, ''Congratulations''. Over the years, they've shown steady growth due to the fact that a lot of the music they put out is not only very relatable but also really great to listen to in general. They've even earned great respect from the South Korean public as well as their peers to the point where the phrase ''DAY6 that you trust and listen to'' has been gaining traction over the last year or so. Additionally, all of their songs are self-produced and self-written, with member Young K being at the helm of this. However, other members have also taken part in production on numerous occasions. After a seven month period with no album following the release of ''The Book of Us: Entropy'', the band finally made their comeback with their sixth EP, ''The Book of Us: The Demon'', which is the final chapter in their ''The Book of Us'' trilogy and offers a different feel from the previous two albums while still maintaining their special flair that we've all grown to love.

Unfortunately, on the day before the album was released, Studio J issued a statement confirming that the band wouldn't embark on promotional activities for this release and would be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities. This was owing to the fact that several members started showing symptoms of psychological anxiety and were being advised by experts that they needed adequate rest in order to regain stability. While this is rather saddening news, the members themselves have assured fans that they are recovering well and are overjoyed at the overwhelming support this release has received so far, stating they will be back as soon as they're ready. I truly await that day but until then, I'm going to be listening through to their robust discography while supporting them from the sidelines.


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'Day and Night'



Carrying on in classic DAY6 fashion, the starting song of every album from them just has to be incredible. It's almost like some sort of unwritten rule, just like the one that states that they can never make any bad music. Anyway, enough of my annoying and let's instead move on to the actual song. I was on the fence at the beginning with the weird beat, but as soon the vocal line comes in, everything works so well to make this such a charming and quirky song. The pre-chorus is amazing, as well as the verse after the first chorus, with the exchange between Dowoon and Wonpil being sublime. The only drawback is that they didn't continue that for a bit longer. We could all do with more of Dowoon's singing. Overall, this is a perfect entry point for the album and sounds like it would work really well as a road-trip song on a sunny day.
8.5/10



'Zombie'



Being the title track of this album, ''Zombie'' fits in really well with everything that's been going on in the world as a result of the pandemic, with millions of people being stuck indoors for quite a while now. The lyrics ''I became a zombie, I walk on drifting aimlessly, tomorrow will be no different'' are relatable not only given the current state of the world but also in general, with a lot of people having the feeling that their lives aren't really going anywhere. Despite being a song that sounds rather simplistic- at least on first listen- it's pretty melodically complex just based on the fact that it isn't really as predictable as one would imagine. You can tell that the members really poured in all of their raw emotions into this song, especially considering the recent news about them. The bridge leads you to think they'll go all out, but it just simmers out into one final chorus. I think this was a perfect pick for the album's title track, but that isn't to say it's the best song on the album. We'll get to that soon.
9.5/10



'Tick Tock'



''Tick Tock'', just like the title suggests, is a song that speaks of something being on limited time, and in this case, it's exemplifying the feelings of being in a relationship that feels like a ticking time bomb just waiting to blow up and end in a disaster. The lyrics ''I think this is the end // We’ve become so different // Every day, we were happy // Now we don’t even smile'' show that the relationship has gone from being one full of joy and happy moments until it slowly descended into a monotonous and sad state. Young K starting off the song with his low register is just so soothing to the ears. For being quite a low-key song, it does also feel quite groovy, especially in the verses. If ''Day and Night'' is the kinda song you'd listen to during a road trip, ''Tick Tock'' is one of those you'd listen to during a rainy day to offer something different from a traditional ballad-y song. It is a pretty good song already, but I just wish they offered something a bit more with the bridge that- at least in my opinion- felt a bit empty. That being said, I can see myself listening to this quite a lot, especially with the exam period coming up pretty soon.
7.5/10

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'Love Me or Leave Me'



Remember when I mentioned that there's one certain song that's definitely the best one on the entire album? Well, here it is. Carrying on with the trend of breakup songs from the band, ''Love Me or Leave Me'' includes lyrics such as ''I’ve put up with them for quite a while // Your cold stare and tone // Whether this is over or not // It’s all up to you now'' which are quite relatable. The song basically signals the point in the relationship where things have grown stale due to one party losing all interest, and you've left the decision onto them on whether or not the relationship will continue. The song starts off with some really sexy strings and the verses act as some incredibly good build-ups to what is one of the best choruses in a DAY6 song yet! The guitar riffs in this song are absolutely sublime and manage to tie the whole thing together in ways that really make it obvious how amazing the members are as producers. Wonpil on the bridge is yet another masterclass in this amazing song. Young K's ''Do you even love me now '' is something I could have on loop for an entire album because of how good it sounds. Overall, I literally have zero complaints about this song and I actually think it might be my favourite b-side of the year so far.
10/10



'STOP'



''STOP'' is a song that's very reminiscent of ''WARNING'', which was the starting track from their 2018 EP ''Shoot Me'', and similarly, I think it would work really well as a concert track to get the crowd hyped without going overboard. The song itself appears to put the singer and the listener in the shoes of a friend, or an admirer, trying to advise somebody to end their relationship with someone else since they're both toxic for each other and there's no way their problems will get fixed. This is evident in the line ''If it was destined to be solved, it would have been''. The guitar in this song works really well- which I think is something we've all come to expect from DAY6 songs in general. It really brings a lot of edge to the album. I do kinda wish this song had a rap right before the bridge because it would have fit in really well. Overall, another great song on what's shaping up to be a pretty solid album!
8.5/10



'1 to 10'



''1 to 10'' is a song that talks about the feeling of wanting to give your all to your significant other and basically reassuring them that you'd do anything to be their source of comfort with lyrics such as ''The words you want to hear // The things you want // I want to give them all to you''. During my first listen to this, I was left feeling so confused about the intro right until the drums kicked in and then it just gets even better from there. A few fans have pointed out that it feels like an upgrade to the song ''Deep in Love'' from their previous album, and I gotta agree with that because it really does have elements that remind me a lot of ''Deep in Love''. I feel like a broken record at this point but things really spice up when it gets to the bridge- which is executed to absolute perfection! The use of a compound meter with the numerical motif was pretty unique, but it worked really well.
8/10

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'Afraid'



Having a rock ballad as the ''final'' track on the album was a great decision- so kudos to whoever decided on that. This song further proves the fact that DAY6 not only have some of the best ballads in the industry but also make some of the best tracks for a concert setting. Despite being a ballad, it has a very energetic chorus. The song speaks about the feeling of feeling unworthy of being in a relationship with someone due to the fear that you don't really seem to bring them happiness, and this is shown in the lyrics ''Even in this moment when you look and smile at me // The times before you knew me // I won’t seem to make you happier than then // I’m so afraid // I’m so afraid''. I can't express how proud I am of Sungjin for not only composing but also writing the lyrics for this absolute masterpiece. Truly one of his best pieces of work yet.
10/10



'Zombie (English Ver.)'



Usually, when you listen to an English version of a k-pop track, you tend to come out of it wondering if it was really necessary for them to do that because of how cringe it sounds. However, DAY6 manage to make it work really well, which is probably due to the fact that Young K and Jae are both fluent and the other members have also improved a lot over the years. The lyrics hit a lot harder when you can actually understand them and the standout part to me is the pre-chorus from Jae and Young K with the lyrics ''Yeah, this is my life // Always dreamin' for a dream to come true// This meaningless life // Wanting something I can't see // And something I can’t reach // Or something that could not exist ''. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I do prefer this version over the original one.
10/10

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To sum things up, "Zombie", "Love Me or Leave Me", and "Afraid" are definitely the standouts of the album for me. "Tick Tock" kinda gets overshadowed by the great songs in this album, but it is by no means a bad song. Overall, this was yet another really good album - but are we even surprised at this point? I hope the members take the time to rest and recover and I'm excited as always to see what the future holds for DAY6.

__________________________________________________

Artistic Creativity: 10/10
Vocal Quality: 9.5/10
Music: 9/10


9.5/10
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PROOFREAD BY: @lex.
GRAPHICS BY: @Aerith
 
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kimsguardian

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thanks for your great review, indeed zombie is amazing and still doing great as part of my everyday playlist so far
woow 10/10??
i should listen their other tracks more often so i could fall for them once again.. this should be AOTY I said :MomoShook:
 

Dragon of the West

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thanks for your great review, indeed zombie is amazing and still doing great as part of my everyday playlist so far
woow 10/10??
i should listen their other tracks more often so i could fall for them once again.. this should be AOTY I said :MomoShook:
Thank you :shablob: yes you should check out their b-sides when you get the time. They have some of the best albums in the whole k-pop scene imo
 

Stannie

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Day6 is criminally underrated. I don't usually listen to BG songs but I enjoy many of their songs. No gimmicky. Just pure good vocals, good music.

I've only listened to Zombie (english version...and ugh, so darn relatable) and Day & Night from this album so far. Loved both. Gonna go through the rest soon~

Thanks for the review!
 
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