Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Sometimes time away can be a good thing. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” is a cliché for a reason. Last year, DAY6 were incredibly active in Korea, releasing two songs a month as part of their ‘Every DAY6‘ project, but though this resulted in some exciting music during the first half of the year, the band retreated to a more generic, ballad-heavy sound for the latter half of the project. With some time to recharge, new single “Shoot Me” brings back the daring side of DAY6’s music.
It’s been awhile since the guys have incorporated this much electronic influence into their classic rock sound, and “Shoot Me”’s experimental verses benefit from this diversity in sound. Opening with what sounds like a distorted heartbeat, the first verse goes on to play with percussive shifts and a dramatic injection of synth strings. But the second verse really gives keyboardist Wonpil a chance to show off. Atmospheric electronics and filtered backing vocals abound, culminating in a brief mid-song breakdown that keeps things dynamic without totally throwing off the overall structure.
“Shoot Me”’s chorus is more straightforward, but is elevated by its aggressive “bang bang” refrain. It cuts through the melody with the sudden shock of a real gunshot, and only grows more combative as the song goes on. The rousing hair-metal chant that fuels “Shoot Me”‘s bridge is even better, adding a welcome dose of theatricality to an already exciting climax. This is the DAY6 I’d been missing for most of last year, and the kind of bold song that will help them stand out among their idol rock group peers.
