It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly three years since DAY6 released a new album. The aptly-titled Fourever is their first as a quartet and a welcome return for one of the most dominant idol bands of the last decade. Title track Welcome To The Show offers a suitably dramatic sound to usher in their comeback, though a more diverse set of melodic ideas could have set it over the top.
Structurally, Welcome To The Show is a little unique. Rather than carefully follow a common verse/chorus structure, it feels more like a rock strong couched within EDM’s “build, build, drop” framework. This is something I’m very into, though Welcome To The Show also threatens to become a one-trick pony. The melody in its opening verse (chorus?) is oft-repeated, albeit at differing energy levels and contexts. I can’t blame the guys because it’s a supremely catchy and sentimental hook, but an equally strong counter-melody would have greatly benefitted the track.
On the plus side, DAY6 wring as much as possible from this repetition. The song explodes in stadium-ready chants, delivering a sense of catharsis that makes you want to sing along at the top of your lungs. The guys have always pulled off this energy well, but their music is at its best when combining this with a grand sense of ambition. Welcome To The Show sounds more ambitious than it actually is, and that’s okay. I’ll always be a sucker for bombastic arrangements and sing-from-the-chest intensity. This song has both of those qualities in spades.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
9
RATING
8.5