Day6 - UNLOCK (2018)

Unlike K-pop contemporaries that focus on hard-hitting beats and hip-hop-influenced anthems, boy band Day6 engage with bright pop that bolstered with sweeping rock power. Issuing a string of Korean and U.S. Top Ten releases, the group debuted in 2015 with The Day, rising on the charts with subsequent EPs and a pair of 2017 full-lengths Sunrise and Moonrise. In addition to the Korean and North American markets, Day6 also focus on Japan, debuting there in 2018 with Unlock.

Formed in 2014 as a quintet dubbed 5LIVE, the group originally comprised Sungjin (vocalist/guitarist), Jae (guitarist/vocalist), Young K (bassist/vocalist), Junhyeok (keyboardist), and Wonpil (keyboardist/vocalist). With the addition of drummer Dowoon in 2015, they upgraded to Day6. The sextet issued their debut EP that same year. The Day charted outside the Korean Top Five and rose to number two on the Billboard World Albums chart. The following year, Junhyeok parted ways with the band and label, JYP Entertainment. Once again a five-piece, Day6 released their sophomore EP, Daydream, before returning to the studio to work on their debut full-length.

In January 2017, Day6 kicked off their "Every Day6" monthly singles project, which steadily rolled out a pair of new songs each month of the year. The first ten of these tracks — compiling January to May — wound up on their official first LP, Sunrise, which arrived in the summer of 2017. After a short break in June, the series continued from July to November. Those singles were compiled onto Moonrise, which arrived late that year. Around this time, the group expanded their presence into the North American market, conducting a meet-and-greet tour in the U.S. and Canada. Soon after, in early 2018, they broke into the Japanese market with the single "If -Mata Aetara-" and a tour. A second Japanese single, "Stop the Rain," was issued that summer, a month prior to the release of their greatest-hits compilation, The Best Day.

Their third EP, Shoot Me: Youth, Pt. 1, was released in June 2018. Entering the Billboard World Albums Top Ten and peaking at number three in Korea, Shoot Me was their strongest selling to date. That October, they returned their focus to Japan with the release of Unlock. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi