Review: WEi - Bye Bye Bye

WEi's debut late last year was... disappointing to say the least. The members of WEi are all experienced stars in their own right, and the group is basically a K-Pop supergroup.  Since then, their new single All or Nothing was only marginally better. Thankfully, Bye Bye Bye continues this slow, positive evolution in the best possible way.

Lyrically, Bye Bye Bye makes no sense. It seems to be talking about leaving fears, just having fun, and being who you want to be. Small changes, such as more lyrically conceptual flow would benefit this song a lot.

Produced by team Mospick, Bye Bye Bye is driven by a lighthearted funky groove, a sound extremely popular these days. No one is really going to claim that it is the best example of this style, but the groove succeeds, with some nice K-Pop-esque tricks. The funky guitar is key amongst those, its simple chord progression occurs throughout the song, and allows for instrumental flourishes to build on it. Without, Bye Bye Bye would fall apart near instantly.

The first verse mostly has a simplistic melody but thrives on its production-based gimmicks. Some tribal percussion, DJ scratches, jazz piano, and the classic clap production build a fun world. The pre-chorus then removes the funky guitar and focuses on vocals and the jazz piano, with the funky guitar slowly returning. Seokhwa's ending falsetto is a great setup for the chorus.

The chorus opens with the funky guitar, and short phrases by Donghan, and later other members. The first phase of the chorus's trump card is both the breezy melody and the fun Vocaloid-esque synth driving the tune. The second phase of the chorus is driven by an overly simple call-and-response, but it allows for just the right amount of flow.

Like many other male K-Pop songs of the last year or two, the second verse opens with a forgettable trap beat. The rappers here do fine, but the section feels shoehorned and greatly hurts the flow. Thankfully, we are soon back to the funky and fun chorus.

The bridge cuts straight to the chase with some classic EDM beats before the vocals appear just for a double high note to lead right into the chorus. This leads to a groovy finale, par for course in this sort of style.

One of the main glues holding this simplistic piece together is WEi's strong vocal performance. They are a group with experience, and they definitely sound like that. They hit all their (simple) requirement easily, and seem to have fun at the same time.

In the end, Bye Bye Bye does not break any walls, nor will it be an instant classic. Despite that, it is a fun song, something I can appreciate, especially after yesterday's gruesome post.

Rating: 8.5/10

Image Source: The Bias List