Knee Jerk Reaction: “Bye Bye Bye” by WEi

I really don’t know much about WEi except that all of the members have been on survival shows like Produce 101, Under 19, and YG Treasure Box. Most of have been in project groups related to those shows as well, and/or they’ve been able to do some solo work. (Fun fact: I always forget Kim Donghan is in WEi since I’m used to him as a soloist, so I’m always semi-surprised when I see him with them.) Perhaps it’s because the members all have that extra experience, but it seems to me like they’re pretty solid for a rookie group that’s not even a year old. They’ve already been able to show several different sides to themselves, and “Bye Bye Bye” is just more evidence of how versatile they are.

(I lowkey wish this song wasn’t called “Bye Bye Bye,” because I’m a millennial and it just makes me think of *NSYNC. But that’s neither here nor there.)

“Bye Bye Bye” is a fun and breezy song with a catchy melody. While I’d still classify it as dance music, the heavy presence of guitar gives it a more funky pop rock feel. It’s a song about saying goodbye to your troubles, so I think it captures those laidback and carefree vibes perfectly. But at the same time, it’s lively enough to make you want to get up and dance. It’s very different from WEi’s previous two singles “Twilight” and “All or Nothing,” so I’m rather impressed that the group has been able to present such a varied discography so early on in their career.

As always, the choreography catches my eye a lot. The dance is very dynamic, with fancy footwork and some sharp angular movements. I think this is one of those times where both the performance and the song are already good, but they make each other even better when put together. The movements enhance the more upbeat and energetic aspects of the music, showing just how dynamic “Bye Bye Bye” is. I also enjoy how the dance really emphasizes the members’ connection to each other – there are several parts where they’re all linked together, and it gives off some nice imagery.

This time, my favorite part of the comeback is the music video – specifically, the aesthetics. K-pop boy groups don’t often go all-in on summer songs like girl groups do, but WEi has delivered a music video that’s perfect for this season. The palm trees and the water make me really want to go to the beach right now, and I also like the parts where they used a light blue cloth to imitate the ocean and waves. I love bright and vivid colors, and I really like how they used so many in the production design. You think such bold shades wouldn’t work together, but they do! Definitely a memorable music video.

MY OVERALL INTEREST LEVEL

(NOTE: My options for each category are “Love,” “Like,” “Neutral,” “Not My Style,” or “Dislike.” But I rarely dislike anything, so I’ll mostly be using the other four.)

Category	My Opinion
Song	Like
Dance	Like
Music Video	Like

WEi actually had a comeback with “All or Nothing” just last February, but I ultimately didn’t end up writing about it because I didn’t feel like I had enough material for a full post. (Personally, I felt it was good but similar to what most other boy groups are doing these days.) So I was determined to cover WEi this time around… but while I’m liking “Bye Bye Bye” more, once again I find myself without much to say. However, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. “Bye Bye Bye” is a solid release, and it shows that WEi is doing really well for themselves as rookies. Even if I don’t have a lot to write about this comeback, I still think it was a job well-done. I’m not moving beyond casual listener status just yet, but WEi’s music so far has me confident that they’ll soon release a song that will make me a fan.

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(“Knee Jerk Reaction” is a column I created to talk about comebacks or debuts when I don’t have a lot of time to write in-depth reviews. A knee jerk reaction is like an automatic response, so it’s a post about my initial thoughts on the song, the music video, and the performance if it’s available. Compared to my reviews, everything is more stream of consciousness and less analytical. And everything is 100% my own opinion!)

SOURCES: Music video and featured image belong to OUI Entertainment.