High4 Get Gloomy in "Day by Day"

4-member boy group High4 debuted last April with the bittersweet "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" as a collaboration with highly popular songstress IU. The song skyrocketed to the top of the charts and won the hearts of fans and non-fans alike. I personally really liked it as well, even though it was a song I normally wouldn't pay much attention too.

However, IU is known for charting high with whatever song she's featuring on, so to say her involvement didn't have anything to with the track's popularity would be a lie. Since then, High4 has worked with Lim Kim as another attempt to get their own name out there, and now they're back with no one other than themselves.





The group is composed of two vocalists and two rappers, all of which possess above-average skills in their respective fields. The group doesn't seem to be a performance based one, but rather focusing on the music instead which I definitely find refreshing. The problem is that those kind of groups usually have it way harder in terms on becoming popular, and that goes for both guys and girls. I certainly think High4 has a ton of potential, but sometimes hard work isn't enough. Timing and luck has proven to be huge contributing factors, and it was most recently seen in EXID's Hani's viral fancam that now has resulted in them winning #1 on music shows.

"Day By Day" is a sad song in all aspects there is, and the heartbreak is frankly quite upsetting to listen to. The lyrics are about a break-up gone bad, and now they're mourning the loss of a relationship that seemed to be so perfect and indestructible. The path of moving on isn't an option at all at this point, because all they can think about is what the other person is doing; if they're thinking about them, if they're also hurting or if they've managed to move on. Struggling of whether to text them, call them or visit their house, all they're actually able to do is stare blankly at the TV as the days go by. To say this song is anything other than depressing would be an understatement, but I actually really like the lyrics. Everything they sing about feels real, and anyone who has gone through a similar situation would definitely relate to that empty feeling of not knowing what your life has become when you're no longer with the person you loved.

The video itself is more of a let down than the actual song. Although the music is more downbeat and emotionally charged, with beautiful harmonies and rapping, the video is honestly quite boring. I wouldn't have expected an intense, eventful video considering the song's nature, but I'm not entirely satisfied with it as it is now anyway. The opening sequence is shot in black and white, and as the video progresses more color is shown but the changes are very subtle. Naturally, such a tragic song shouldn't have a colorful video because it wouldn't represent the state-of-mind of the story's narrator, but the result leaves me wishing they could have done something more interesting with the color range.

Another issue that struck a wrong chord with me are all the random props on the shooting scene, such as a bed, bathtub, phone booth and piano among many. I get that they're there to represent all the previous memories of their relationship, hence the mess at the end where everything is turned upside-down meaning the outcome of the break-up, but I wished the video could have taken place in an actual house setting. The lyrics are realistic enough to deserve a video shot with higher realism, but what we're seeing here could also symbolize the internal struggle, thus taking place in his mind only. Or it could just be a question of money.

Overall
I definitely like the song more than the video, but it's apparent that the budget for this project wasn't too high. It adds to the problem that many rookie groups suffer from; that they're not popular enough to put loads of money into making high-quality MV's for songs that are actually good, but since the videos aren't that great they attract very little attention. Typical catch-22. Still, I can see a bright future for this group because I believe they have talent, but it will take some better management for them to get there and that cannot always be counted on.

Song: 3,75/5
MV: 3,25/5