Album Review: eaJ - when the rain stopped following me

I haven’t done an album review since Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us mini-album back like two years ago, and what a perfect time to dust off the keyboard and focus on an EP that has been on repeat since the second I had access to it.

Jae’s newest EP is finally out, after teasing us with it for a while. He went the Japanese release type route with it, dropping most of the songs throughout the year so while I’ve been able to sit with most of these songs for a while, we finally got the last two tracks with this drop on the 20th when the full EP was released. I want to say I am going to be objective with this review but the truth is that I just cannot. I have a deep relationship with Jae and his music and he - both as eaJ and as Jae of DAY6 - will always be part of the reason I kept going during very dark times so there is a connection to his music that I just cannot be objective about. It is so deeply tied to my emotions and mental well being it can’t, nor do I want it to, be separate.

That being said, I truly love the songs on this album. Since going solo, I’ve generally liked his songs to various degrees. I liked his dip into a more R&B sound, but Jae has a voice that needs to live in rock and this album truly captures that. As a fan, I’m proud of his journey. As a music lover, I’m happy that he finally stopped letting the guilt of stepping on toes prevent him from making music that is truly in line with his own personal sound. I think a lot of the past music reflects the trial period where he was experimenting with sound and trying to find his own. While I did enjoy it, nothing beats where we are with this latest release, especially notable in songs like right where you left me and when the rain stops.

Overall the album is a cohesive yet still rocky journey through mental strife and worry and he bears a lot of his emotions throughout the songs in raw and vulnerable lyrics. Even with the songs that he’s had for a while (friendly fire has been played in live performances for over a year), the selections paint a picture of the ups and downs of emotions and serve as a release of the rockiness that the past four years and before have been for him. It’s been hard and sad and frustrating and with this EP we are starting to see him coming out on the other side of that storm.

This album means a lot to me and have had it playing on repeat for the past few days. Jae makes me like music again in a way that I haven’t felt in a while and I will be ever grateful he didn’t give up, that I get to be here now listening to new music with a promise of new music to come.

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01. i just want my twenties back

i want my twenties back is an incredible intro into the mindset and tone of what is to come throughout the journey of this album. It is a plead to listen to the album for what it is: an ode to needing to be able to tell out loud his story instead of being silenced for the sake of others’ comfort. I love how raw and ethereal this is, but still is produced in a way that is classically Jae. Jae plays around with different sounds and arrangements in his songs and is present in a song that would probably be produced differently and much less by another artist. It is also at its core just a boy and his guitar and for Jae that’s a huge part of his life and the reason he was where he was in his 20s.

02. mad

If I had to pick a least favorite song off the album, it might be mad. It’s a good song, I like it fine. It is less introspective in the lyrics than some of the others and while I do sense that it mimics the moment where you just can’t find the words (or maybe shouldn’t) to talk about the big feelings you have and just want to put that into action than words. I do think it compliments the other two songs that lean more pop on the album, fire and burn.

03. friendly fire

friendly fire is just a fun song overall. Another heavy pop song this one just makes you want to go for a drive and put it on while screaming the lyrics. The bridge swaying in beat is a fun juxtaposition from the very staccato notes of the rest of the song. It’s sonically fun and light and inviting, while the subject is less about being friendly and more the reflection of a very toxic relationship.

04. right where you left me (ft. Hindia)

I don’t know if I can accurately put intp words how much I love this song. This is what I want from Jae in terms of sound. The guitar line in the back, the build up into the chorus that ends in letting the instruments take over with the vocals becoming almost background to it…it all just works so well for me. Hindia was absolutely the right choice to feature in this song. When their voices come together in the second verse...chef’s kiss. I love when voices match, and Jae and Hindia blend so well together, I could listen to that part for hours and be content “I don’t even gotta say to youuuu”.

05. burn (ft. salem ilese)

Burn has some really interesting work in the producing of the song. I don’t think I’ve heard Jae talk about it, but I want to know the reasoning to add in the voice announcing the verses. salem really works well in this song. She has such an interesting voice and in some of the ways that she emphasizes syllables and it gives it such an interesting vibe. I think both voices blend well, and it’s a great example of how Jae is good at spotlighting who he is with without overpowering them.

06. when the rain stops

While right where you left me is my favorite song of all his discography, when the rain stops is my favorite on this album. Lyrically it’s such a beautiful display of where Jae is now. Musically, I think right where you left me and this one follow closely together in sound and are the heavier rock-influenced tracks of the EP. The back line is written well and has a feeling of introspection and whimsy with the topline of Jae’s very emotional vocals. It’s very dreamlike in most of the song, especially as he almost mumbles the verses out, but then explodes into the chorus. There is hope of coming out on the other side throughout the song that transcends the lyrics. What a beautiful way to end an album that is so heavy and dark in one way or another. It needed to come out of that rainy mess from the other songs into this hopeful place with room to grow while still acknowledging the past.

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Check out the album on all platforms now.

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Some interviews to check out:

• Makana Talks - A Conversation With eaJ—An Artist, Not An Idol

• Billboard Philippines - Out Of The Shadows: eaJ On Accepting The Past And Being Honest In His Latest EP

• hype - Interview: eaJ Talks New EP, Biggest Change In His Life & His Cool Tattoos

• Zach Sang Show - eaJ | Burn, Day6 Regrets, Going Solo, Truth Behind Being An Idol

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Album Review: Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us

Now that I’ve had several days to process this release, I’m finally ready to talk about Dreamcatcher’s second full album: Apocalypse: Save Us. This comeback’s theme is focused on the Earth dying and trying to save it, but the general theme of the album is a bit more relaxed. We get the usual array of Dreamcatcher b-sides, but a new and welcome switch-up is solos from every member. Not only are there solos, but each member worked on them in some capacity in the writing and producing and it overall gave a different vibe to the album as it’s less about being cohesive and more about showcasing their personal musical tastes. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I had some reservations with the main title when I first heard the preview, but it was resolved once it finally came out, and loved that we got to see such variety within the solos in music tastes. Dreamcatcher is also starting to trend towards a city pop sound in a lot of their songs, and I welcome it with open arms. All-in-all the album is fantastic and I really enjoyed it.

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01. Intro: Save Us

Dreamcatcher’s musical intros and outros always work so great with the overall theme of the album and give a fun introduction to the album itself. This one is no different with just enough creepiness to remind us that we are still listening to a Dreamcatcher album, even if a bit lighter and away from their horror elements. Little things, like adding the abrupt changing of the sound of the cassette changing, is fun and gives it a great theatrical vibe. I know not everyone loves them, and they are largely skipped, but I like to make time for them.

02. Locked Inside a Door

I feel like ‘Locked Inside a Door’ is the counterpart to the last album’s ‘Black Or White’. It’s fun with a great staccato beat which adds a bit to the overall feel of the song. Out of all the types of music they play within their b-sides, this is what fits all of their voices equally and really focuses on what they are capable of vocally. It’s a hard task to do with music, especially with a group that has clear vocal ranges, and this song lands exactly where they are all comfortable. This song allows for someone like Siyeon to be able to bring background variants with her vocal runs while others that aren’t used as much in vocal lines, like Handong’s bridge that moves into SuA’s part, bring a good union of their voices. Dreamcatcher also tends to be a good theatrical group, and it really shines when there’s a song they all can interpret vocally and have fun and get into.

03. Maison (Main Title)

My first thoughts still apply, even after the many (many) replays of this song: I had a lot of fun with it. I was worried after hearing the previews, but that quickly diminished when I pushed play. The constant rock line that stays throughout most of the song from the first note, JiU and Siyeon’s second bridge backed by a messy/crunchy piano line all combine to create this cyber-punk-without-punk vibe. It’s got video game qualities and fits the theme even without the lyrics.

Dami is a fantastic rapper, her vocal quality works so well with what she’s been able to do and while other comebacks have had some great rap sections (‘Boca’, I’m looking at you), I’ve always felt that her sections tend to get prematurely cut and feel a little awkward as a result. Not here, as this was the best rap part we’ve gotten on the main title from her. The switch to focusing Gahyeon on the higher “La Maison” part was a good direction. While I do think she still is working on her higher register and head voice (you can hear this more in the live versions of the song, as she struggles a bit), she has a way of making it haunting and not overpowering during the recording and gives a nice tone change and overall different vibe to that section that would be a bit lost without it. Combine all that with an earworm of a chorus that I’m constantly playing in my head, what’s really not to love?

04. Starlight

I really love DC’s turn into 80’s synth/city-pop. We saw this in the last mini-album Summer Holiday, and I welcome the continuation into DC’s city-pop/retro era. Out of all the groups that have been trying to get into city-pop I think DC is the underdog that is poised to take that spot. The genre fits all of their various vocal timbres extremely well in ways that you don’t expect and is a great contrast to their heavy rock-based main titles. A lot of the girls already have a higher whistle tone that is perfect for this type of music, but Dami’s parts in this song are exceptional, with her deeper contrasting richness that just melts with everything and then Handong follows matching her tone to create the perfect section. I love songs that make me feel like a specific time or place, and this song makes me feel like I’m on my roller skates just freely circling the rink without a care in the world, and even at the end the song just disappears into the air, the equivalent of a perfect fade to black. Out of all the group b-sides on this album, ‘Starlight’ takes it for me. Every time I listen to it I love it more.

05. Together

‘Together’ is a really great follow-up to ‘Starlight’. It doesn’t lean as heavily into the retro-pop as much as it - a more airy cousin - but still carries it and they both work together as a duo. I do find that where it’s lacking is that it’s a bit too repetitive and am not attached to the chorus, finding it ‘meh’ comparatively. But my absolute favorite part is Siyeon’s during the bridge. She toes the line of going into her chest voice out of the light and airy head voice but never does. I can’t begin to describe how amazing that control is. I could just repeat those 10ish seconds multiple times and not get sick of it.

06. Always

There always has to be one ballad on a DC album. I don’t have much pull to this one. It’s simple, sweet, and fine, but it doesn’t grab me like their other ballads. While I don’t think Dreamcatcher does ballads poorly in terms of technique, I do find them a bit boring on a whole (and I’m a ballad person). Maybe it’s because I find that their more theatrical or raw/upbeat emotional songs pull me in more or they all kind of stay in the same space and begin to be a bit too repetitive? Overall it’s not my favorite in terms of the overall album, but not bad in any real respect.

07. Skit: The Seven Doors

I’m a theatre person. I like the split of “acts” as we transition out of the group songs into the solo songs. It’s a fun blend of the first several songs and a hint at what we’re about to get with the solos.

08. Cherry (JiU’s Solo)

JiU’s voice is just perfection with city-pop, and am so glad that she picked this route in her solo. Her soprano voice and the way she lives in that head voice perfectly go with the wistfulness of the genre and the way she’s able to throw the notes out at the end of phrases just adds such a great addition to the background beat and adds a fun layer. ‘Cherry’ is the perfect summer song with an incredibly addictive upbeat chorus and verses that make you want to just bop your head. We got a taste of city pop JiU in ‘Starlight’ and this is the explosion of it.

09. No Dot (SuA’s Solo)

Out of all the songs, this is the one during the preview that I picked up on the most. It’s the darkest and grittiest of the solos, but perfectly SuA. It’s sexy with a great beat. I love that we get more of her rapping - which was her position in the beginning and has since been pulled out - a nice thing to hear again. SuA has a good adaptable voice and this song is a good reflection of that as she kind of plays around with a lot of musical elements, from the grungy rock to pop to a slew of other genres and it creates a messy but balanced song.

10. Entrancing (Siyeon’s Solo)

Did Siyeon give me a Final Fantasy song? Did she? I can’t get over it. It’s light and mystical and fantastical and I’m in love. Dare I say this is my favorite song off of the album? A beautiful sweeping feel combined with her higher head voice and you have the perfect combination. I feel like I need to say more if I’m declaring this as my favorite song off of the album, but I don’t know how to describe my love of it. This is a song you’d hear coming from Yoko Kanno. I don’t know what I was expecting from her, but it wasn’t this and I’m so glad to be surprised.

11. Winter (Handong’s Solo)

Handong has one of my favorite voices in the group and I was really excited for this song just so I can have a full song of her singing. Sadly, the song didn’t grab me like I thought it would. Handong’s voice is great in it, and it’s light and sweet, it’s just a bit lacking. While the song on a whole misses me a bit in its grasp, the last sections are where she truly shines in the song as she starts to wrap it up. When she transitions out of singing in Korean to Chinese - in a capella - it makes the song and is such a beautiful touch and blending of who she is.

12. For (Yoohyeon’s Solo)

I wasn’t expecting this song from Yoohyeon, I was expecting her to go a bit more pop-centered (a la Taylor Swift) knowing her love of the genre, and I kind of love that she went this direction. What other kpop album out right now has a song like this? It’s light, playful, and fun with great 50’s swing and a touch of musical theatre. I love when Yoohyeon swings up into the higher notes. It’s so pretty and light and wonderful.

13. Beauty Full (Dami’s Solo)

Who would have thought Dami would hit us with the 2000s pop-punk hit? The song is just fun. It makes you want to just jump around and dance. I just love it. I love how upbeat it is, I love that out of all the girls Dami was the one to stick closer to a rock sound but did something completely different than DC on a whole would do. I love that it’s something completely unpredictable.

14. Playground (Gahyeon’s Solo)

I was waiting for someone in the group to go the IU route and should have known that Gahyeon would rise up to the challenge. In contrast, this song is youthful and fun on the other end of the spectrum than Dami’s. Fitting for the maknae to have a song that not only is titled ‘Playground’ but feels like one. The song, more than anything else, fits her voice and we get a tone that she doesn’t normally get to play with during other DC tracks, at least not one that stands out. Gahyeon’s voice has gotten better over the years and this solo is a testament to that. Is it one of my favorite songs off the album? No, but that’s ok. You can hear how much fun she’s having with it and it adds to the song.

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Album Review: Dreamcatcher's Summer Holiday

For as much as I love Dreamcatcher, you would have thought that at this point I would have written an album review and yet this is the first one. Dreamcatcher knows and loves me, apparently, as they’ve put out a music video that just works for my Korean Summer Horror.

I’m a sucker for anything theatrical, and it’s one of the driving forces on why I love Dreamcatcher so much. They stick to a theme and do it well, and I think their collaboration with LEEZ and Ollounder pays off because they seem to like to work on these more theatrical pieces (you hear this in some of their other works with other artists such as ATEEZ), and they get to play around a lot with the musical styles because Dreamcatcher can pull off different styles. They are just inherently doing a different thing than most of kpop, and it allows a lot of creative freedom. Summer Holiday while a stand-alone album, incorporates a lot of Dreamcatcher’s earlier songs and sounds, with a lot of the nods seen especially in the title track. Each of the b-side tracks have their own summer flare to them, and while they work really well as singular songs they make up a really great full roundup of summer feelings, almost like the emotions you go through having a summer fling.

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01. Intro

I love that the ‘Intro’ sounds like it’s at an abandoned theme park, or a boardwalk with the wind/water sounds in the background. The emptiness of hearing the echoing of the single pair of footsteps ties in nicely with the creepiness of the title and is a great way to introduce ‘BEcause’. If I were to make a story based on this alone, it’s the opening of a store on the boardwalk. The bell ringing sounds like a door opening, the empty steps around the store with no customers; opening it up for the summer season.

02. BEcause (title)

I don’t want to go too deep into the music video and keep this centered on the song, but I will say that this is currently my favorite music video they’ve put out. It’s objectively their best, with probably the most budget put behind it. But besides that, part of what I like about the music video is how well it pairs with the song. While I do think a lot of their other releases work well, this one is the closest to what is going on with the song specifically with music elements and I think that it really creates a great musical experience. They use a lot of their doppelganger personas in the music video (which is a reoccurring theme from other music videos, despite this album being a one-off and not necessarily part of any of the arcs), but I think it plays into the doll-like actions they have and kind of mimics the playfulness of a carnival/vaudeville song.

Dami’s rap works really well with its mechanical run-down distortion and crunchy noise that help play into that fake doll/doppelganger concept and the added background sound clips are great with the song’s obsessive love lyrics. The chorus isn’t as strong as we normally see in their songs, but I really liked that it’s more reserved. It leans into that melodic carnival/music toy music and their voices kind of match. When I first saw their teasers I thought that maybe this comeback would be about sirens, and in a way the song does with its haunting and luring melody. SuA having a lot of the heavier rock belting is a nice change, I’ve always thought her voice was great in that range and allowed ‘BEcause’ to be different than some of the other songs that use Siyeon’s vocals in those areas and allowed Siyeon to get the softer melodies.

03. Airplane

While ‘Airplane’ might not be my favorite off the album, it has been growing on me the more I replay it. It’s a lot brighter and happier and really strays away from the carnival/creepy to a happier summer holiday. It’s got some 80’s synth underlying, but it’s really is closer to some older kpop groups. Dreamcatcher is a fan of groups like Girls Generation, and it reminds me of something that is a nod to older girl group songs. Would this be on a teen rom-com soundtrack? Absolutely. It’s a lot of fun and poppy and translates to the feelings of a young romance where everything seems to give you butterflies and are willing to go anywhere, as long as you are with the person.

04. Whistle

‘Whistle’ really is the perfect song to put on a summer road trip playlist. Dami’s part in this is one of my favorites, I love when they use her for vocal lines as her voice has grown a lot not just in her rapping. I really don’t know what to say about this one, it’s just…good. Like really good. I would say this has a place in the top favorite b-sides. I like how they play up the whistle part in the background, to the point that it is its own vocal line. Will you get what I mean when I say that this sounds like a sunset? I don’t know how to describe what I mean by that, but it’s got that freeing feeling of the day finally being over. Out of all the songs, this is the closest to the vibe of a summer festival.

05. Alldaylong

Did I expect a city pop song from Dreamcatcher? No. Have I always secretly wanted one? Yes. And to top it off it’s one where JiU worked on. The one thing that Dreamcatcher is really good at is their vocals, and this song showcases that. It strays away from the power pop they tend to go with in their title tracks and allows them to use a really light breathy voice. JiU, Yoohyeon, and Handong especially shine in this range. Is saying their breathy vocal qualities remind me of a windy night on the beach a stretch and looking too hard into things? Maybe. But I kind of think that was its intent.

06. A Heart of Sunflower

This is by far my favorite ballad that Dreamcatcher has ever done. To really experience how beautiful this song is, throw in a pair of headphones and close your eyes. The soft guitar line in the background. The vocals. They don’t do ballads a lot, but I love when they do. The build-up is nice on this one, starts off very low and light and rises and backs off when it needs to. The emotions are raw and the girls pull off a great rock ballad.

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I feel like I’ve said this before, but Dreamcatcher has some of the best b-sides and while I think that Dreamcatcher is starting to get out of that underrated spot for their main title songs, they are definitely underrated in how solid of a b-side lineup they have. They always play around with their sound, and can adapt well within the different genres. If you aren’t listening to their b-sides you are missing out on a lot. Summer Holiday did what all the other Dreamcatcher albums have done, and delivered solidly great varied songs.

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