We kick off this week with the return of DAY6, who we last saw through Sweet Chaos. The band from JYP Entertainment released their new single, Zombie, and the group’s 6th mini-album, The Book Of Us: The Demon. The actual album itself includes two versions of the title track, a Korean and English version. It seems like we will only be seeing the members through the music video and the teaser images, as their company announced that the band would be halting all activities (including promotions) so that some of the members can recover their health, as it has been revealed that some of the members are suffering from psychological anxiety. Let’s all wish the members a quick recovery so we can see them on stage soon.

Zombie is best described as a rock ballad, leaning more towards the ballad side of that pairing. It is a little dry at first. But once you delve into it, you will grow to like it. I liked how the song didn’t conform to the usual routine and structure, which was opposite of the songs lyrics of being stuck in the same routine and hence becoming a zombie for living life on repeat. And this way, it made the rock ballad quite unique as well. Every time we heard the chorus (the lyrical sequence that was repeated), it was paired with a different instrumental piece. The first time around it felt like it embedded in the first verse, which was followed by an instrumental break that felt like it should have backed the first chorus (but was delayed). This instrumental break here felt extremely powerful in the English version and I assume it would have the same impact if you understood the Korean version. The second time we heard the chorus, it was back by what felt like the usual chorus instrumentation. And the third time was actually as Zombie was easing out, with just a synthesizer and then a keyboard playing in the background. The other parts of the song were really nice as well, instrumental-wise. But the vocals were definitely the standout element. You can hear the tiredness of the usual routine and the desire for more in this voices. My favourite section of the song, which showed off the vocals the best (in my opinion) has to be the short second verse. Jae’s ‘This Meaningless Life‘ just comes out so smoothly. Overall, it is a really beautiful song. I don’t know exactly when one would play it, given its message. But it definitely a relatable song.

I thought the music video was cleverly produced. In the video, the main character played the role of a ‘zombie’, which is a guy who lives the same routine every single day. He gets up in the morning and goes to work as a businessperson. I like how the video was shot with everything else moving around him in a fast forward motion, while he is in neutral gear and dragging himself towards his job. Another thing I like is when his apartment is filled with water, this corresponds with the ‘Wanna Cry‘ lyrics. However, I liked how the main character does not care that his home is flooded and just goes to bed as per his routine, showing that he is truly stuck in that same routine. I also liked how the members play instruments within the apartment. The set was very narrow, but they managed to get everyone in there. I also liked how they shot closeup of one member standing close to the camera and the next person standing in the background, so that the camera only need to adjusts its focus to get to the next person (and the video doesn’t need fancy transitions to move along).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10