[Review] DAY6 - Hi Hello

Apparently it's been over a year since the last review about a boy group. Holy cow, let's fix that haha. DAY6 is one of the groups that my sisters really love (besides BTS that is) so I hear a lot of their music throughout the days and weeks. Given their band nature and constantly putting out new songs (and I mean constantly), it's hard to ignore them. Plus this goes back to my middle school years and early foray into Kpop when rock and pop rock were my bread and butter. So let's see what DAY6 has to offer in their July releases.

"Hi Hello" is soothingly slow and soothingly soft. Those harmonies during the chorus are something spectacular, man. I could honestly repeat those small sections over and over again. I've always been a bigger fan of Jae's voice than Sungjin truth be told, but not sure if I can explain why. Sungjin's voice tends to be higher and a little more nasally. Jae's tends to be more distinct and I like that. Younghyun is also a good contributor for vocals so it's nice to see him not get the usual rapper treatment. Speaking of which, I'm glad they haven't been adding any raps in their music lately. Not only does it make sense - bands don't generally have rappers (or at least I feel that should be the case) but as with most JYP rappers not named Yubin, they aren't that good and their actual raps themselves aren't that good either. A slow rap could've ruined this song so smart moves were made to exclude one.

Personally, I prefer it if bands like DAY6 did more of the high tempo stuff. Songs like "Congratulations," "I Wait," and "How Can I Say" were more thrilling, for obvious reasons. It's not that the song is bad at all, as "Hi Hello" and "I Smile" are great at the slow stroll, but it just doesn't seem like something a band should be playing. Maybe I don't know anything about bands. Maybe I just prefer other singers or groups doing slower songs. Either way, the best phrase I could use to describe this song is "good but unorthodox" coming from the band concept.

Ah yes, the classic hitchhiker storyline for a Kpop MV. Wait what. I doubt I watch or remember enough music videos but it certainly seems like a strange direction to take the MV. The idea certainly isn't foreign and I guess the lyrics help bridge the gap between both aspects. As for the video itself, I don't know if the DAY6 guys are supposed to be strangers to each other in this video, but to their credit the acting is good enough. A little cheesy, but passable where needed. Younghyun trying to play the lone wolf before having to help them was a nice added twist (Kpop could always use more of those). But then he ends up trying to join the gang anyway. Not sure what that was all about. It's arguably more difficult to construct videos for bands since they don't do any dancing. Choreography shots are substituted with shots of the members playing instruments...in the middle of the road. That seems dangerous. At the end of the day, it's a video that does its job of providing some plot-like content and nothing more.

"Hi Hello" is nothing transcendent, but it still is a solid track with beautiful harmonies and a relaxing pace. Sungjin and Jae carry you away on their voices, and Younghyun makes a case for having one of the best singing voices as a rapper. The MV is forgettable but so are most MVs nowadays. The diversity this adds to the DAY6 library is appreciated, but I'd rather see more of what they're built to do: play instruments loudly and proudly. It's a good piece and not a knock on them at all, but I hope that DAY6 get back to something more loud and frantic in the future. Gimme those sick guitar and drum moments please!