WayV Reminisce Their Good Old Days with “On My Youth”
Almost a year has passed and WayV are finally back with their much-anticipated, second full-length album On My Youth, released on November 1. While WayV are no strangers to discovering a wormhole and time traveling, On My Youth sees the sextet in their most grounded concept yet. The group (consisting of KUN, TEN, WINWIN, XIAOJUN, HENDERY, and YANGYANG) nods to the early 2000s nostalgia boom by portraying the story of confronting lost youth. They escape the past through their emotional reminiscence of a time of immaturity and regret. To celebrate the release, Team EnVi has created a walkthrough of the On My Youth tracklist — from the titular lead single to its diverse B-side tracks.
On My Youth
WayV never shy away from giving a new side to their discography. In the leading single “On My Youth,” the theatrical synths and harmonious bass line accompany WayV’s vocal and rap abilities. The album features a Chinese and English version of the track. Lyrically, it tells the heart-wrenching story of a relationship that has gone sour due to the singer’s inability to move on from their past mistakes. With lines like “Maybe I had to lose you / To know how good I had it / To know how good that we were / To know I’m deep in regret,” the song is sure to pull on a couple, if not all, of your heartstrings.
Poppin’ Love
The next track on the album is “Poppin’ Love,” a hip-hop and R&B track that is filled with WayV’s signature sound. The song talks about a thrilling love filled with anticipation about what they will experience together next. Before the album release, fans were given a snippet of “Poppin’ Love” in a track video. The choreography featured in the video caught the eye of the public and has been covered by many artists like BOYHOOD and Le’v. The emotional lyrics like “When you look at me, I’m so captivated / Just like the feeling of excitement between us,” paired with the booming base makes the track a perfect hype song.
Ain’t No Thang
WayV fuse disco, electronic music, and hip-hop in On My Youth’s third track, “Ain’t No Thang.” The track doesn’t take its time as YANGYANG bursts into the song with his rap verse. Laden with high-pitched synthesizers, the track tells a story of perseverance. The sextet chants the song title during each pulse-pounding chorus, hyping up not only themselves, but also the listeners. It’s a track worth blasting from your speakers and adding to your energizer playlist.
No One But You
“No One But You” breaks off the album’s chain of upbeat tracks with its calmer, guitar-dominated intro and TEN’s soft ad-libs. The song later turns to a melodic chorus with stripped-down drum beats, with the members singing of their heartbeats syncing to their lover’s. The lyrics to “No One But You” speaks of cherishing a warm and tender love: “Baby, oh, it seems impossible / That I’m the one you want / You, the one that I got.”
This acoustic pop song was composed by Ninos Hanna — who also wrote NCT DREAM’s “Hot Sauce” and the NCT U track “Dancing In The Rain” — and Hampus Nerge. “No One But You” also became the first half of WayV’s October 19 track video alongside its succeeding track: “INVINCIBLE.”
INVINCIBLE
After “No One But You,” WayV emit uplifting vibes with their bright song “INVINCIBLE,” standing fifth on the album’s tracklist. Producing duo LDN Noise (Greg Bonnick and Hayden Chapman), Jeffrey THE KIDDD, and Robbie Jay composed and wrote the song. The result? A chillstep track that incorporates low heavy bass, slow electronic beats, and overall soothing tones.
With lyrics written by musician Tomo Kurt, WayV encouragingly sing, “From the bottom to the top / We haven’t even reached the limit / They said we would never win it all / We’re doing this forever / We’re unstoppable,” carrying a positive message of resilience, celebration, and perseverance. “INVINCIBLE” poses as a track full of the member’s determination, strength, and strive for success.
RODEO
“RODEO” is a trap genre song performed by WayV’s rap unit: WINWIN, HENDERY, and YANGYANG. The song tells a story of a pioneer’s thrilling adventure, with lyrics full of aspirations about oneself being the protagonist of the future. They confidently rap, “Found out I’m the man, now we tryna make a way / But I’m sorry, look, I’m busy, I ain’t tryin’ to offend / Never start to stop, the blood was hot / I tell them better watch we got, I drop the shots.”
LDN Noise and Justin Starling worked together to create a hot track accentuating the unit’s unique rapping. From the addictive bass drop and its intensely exhilarating lyrics, “RODEO” takes listeners on an enjoyable journey packed with desires that ensures that the unit’s fearless ambition will make your head spin like a rodeo.
Moonlight
Set further down into the album, “Moonlight” encompasses WayV’s distinct sound. Keeping up with the theatrics from their last album Phantom, they returned with another string-heavy track. By fusing grand instrumentals with their voices, this track displays the group’s full talents. With lyrics such as “Let the story continue, celebrating all life, yeah / Before greatness, darkness is a necessary stance, moonlight,” WayV transport you right back into KWANGYA, exploring the darkness that lies ahead in the real world.
Hayden Chapman, Greg Bonnick, Jeffrey THE KIDDD, Sevn Dayz, and Tay Jasper composed the high energy track. Reminiscent of their earlier tracks “Moonwalk” and “Phantom,” this song seamlessly fits into WayV’s discography. The vocal-heavy song also highlights the members’ unique timbres and weaves the rapline together.
Lighthouse
After another chain of dynamic tracks, WayV’s vocal unit decelerate on their eighth track “Lighthouse.” Sung by vocal unit members KUN, TEN, and XIAOJUN, “Lighthouse” expresses the longing for love and determination to be right beside the longed-after individual. Composed by minGtion, Andrew Choi, and Nermin Harambašić, the simple yet emotional piano melody blends harmoniously with the unit’s delicate vocals through this touching pop ballad. They sing the lines, “No matter where you are, you are the one my heart desires, / Just like the light of a lighthouse.” The soft strumming of a guitar mixed with the sensitivity of the members’ voices results in a rich melodic structure of the album’s sentimental serenade of pining and infatuation.
Be Alright
“Be Alright” sincerely conveys WayV’s gratitude and consolation towards their fans, WayZenNi. With KUN participating in the song’s lyric writing, “Be Alright” displays the group’s heartfelt message towards WayZenNies, singing “You don’t need to walk this lonely road / I’ll accompany you through sunrises and sunsets / From the unknown to the future / We’re going to be alright / It’s all right, it’s all right, it’s all right / We’re going to be alright.” This track illustrates WayV’s affection towards their fans, allowing WayZenNies to feel the confession and offer of security of today and forevermore.
Life’s More Fun When You Never Look Back
Upon their album release, WayV took first place on various music charts. According to SM Entertainment, on November 2, On My Youth topped the iTunes Top Album Chart in Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, India, Japan, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Russia, and more. On My Youth also went straight to No. 1 on the digital album sales chart of QQ Music, China’s largest music platform, within five minutes of its release, and ranked No. 1 on the digital album sales chart of Kugou Music and Wang Yiwon Music. Not only limited to China, the album also ranked first on Japan’s LINE Music real-time album Top 100 chart. Through their prominent return, WayV not only proved their musical influence in China, but likewise confirmed their global popularity.
Currently, WayV are embarking on a showcase tour around China to commemorate On My Youth’s release. After performing in Shanghai on the album’s release day, the sextet continued their journey to Chengdu on November 5.
Watch WayV’s latest music video release “On My Youth” on YouTube and listen to the entire On My Youth album on Spotify and Apple Music.
Already missing WayV? Don’t forget to follow the group on Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube for the latest news and releases.
Need more fresh hits for your playlist rotation? Catch K-pop girl group VIVIZ’s recent comeback with their fourth mini album, VERSUS, here.
