The Book of Us: The Demon is the sixth extended play by South Korean band Day6. It was released by JYP Entertainment on May 11, 2020. The album contains eight tracks including the lead single, "Zombie".
Background and release
On April 20, 2020, it was reported that Day6 would be making a comeback on May 11.[1] On April 27, JYP Entertainment announced the release of Day6's new album The Book of Us: The Demon, through a comeback trailer narrated in English by Jae and Young K.[2] The album was made available for pre-orders the same day with the physical edition being available in two versions: 'Midday' and 'Midnight'.[3] The full album tracklist was released on April 30. The album consists of 8 tracks, including an English version of the lead single "Zombie".[4] From May 2 through May 6, the band released five pairs of teaser photos of the album, each featuring individual members.[5][6][7][8][9] On May 7, the band released a set of group photo teasers for the lead single "Zombie".[10] On May 8, the band released snippets of lyrics of every track of the album through 8 sets of lyric teaser photos.[11] On May 9, the music video teaser of the title track "Zombie" was released.[12] On May 10, the album sampler video was released featuring the highlights of the songs.[13] The album was released on May 11, in conjunction with the release of a music video for the lead single "Zombie".[14]
On May 10, the day before the release of the album, JYP Entertainment announced that two of the five members of the group, Park Sungjin and Jae Park, would take a temporary hiatus to focus on their health. Therefore, they did not promote the album on any music shows.[16]
Track listing
No.
Title
Lyrics
Music
Arrangement
Length
1.
"Day and Night" (해와 달처럼; Haewa Dalcheoreom [lit. "Like the Sun and Moon"])
Time named "The Book of Us: The Demon" as one of ten albums defining "K-Pop's monumental year in 2020", citing "memorably penetrating lyrics" and its capacity "to make listeners feel less alone [in their own pain]".[17]The South China Morning Post included the album among "the top 15 K-Pop group albums of 2020", describing it as "a soundtrack for life."[18]NME ranked the album #19 on its list of "The 25 best Asian albums of 2020", calling it their "most cathartic and therapeutic material yet."[19]
"Zombie" was named one of the top 10 singles of the year (among Korean artists) by IZM, a music critic site in South Korea.[20] The group received the "Best Band Performance" award in the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards for the song.[21]
^Lee, Seunghoon (April 27, 2020). "데이식스, 5월 11일 '좀비'로 컴백…전곡 참여로 완성도 UP" ["Return of Faith" .. Day Six, 'The Book of Us: The Demon' Comeback Trailer Film Revealed]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Sang-geun (May 3, 2020). 데이식스 제이 "'좀비' 듣고 마음의 위안과 힘 얻기를" [Day6 Jae. "Listen to 'zombies' and gain comfort and strength"]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Deok-haeng (May 4, 2020). 데이식스 Young K, 'Zombie' 개인 티저 공개…"다섯 멤버 모두 만족한 새 앨범" [Day6 Young K reveals 'Zombie' personal teaser… "A new album that satisfies all five members"]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Shim, Eon-kyung (May 5, 2020). DAY6 원필, 신곡 'Zombie' 티저 공개..깊은 눈빛+훈훈 비주얼 [Oh!쎈 컷] [DAY6 Wonpil, new song 'Zombie' teaser released..Deep eye + Hoonhoon visual [Oh! 쎈 cut]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Myung, Hee-suk (May 6, 2020). 데이식스 도운, 비주얼 막내의 분위기 눈빛 '공허+신비로움' [Day6 Dowoon, visual youngest atmosphere 'Void + Mystery']. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kwon, Hye-mi (May 7, 2020). 데이식스, 신곡 'Zombie' 단체 사진 공개…공허한 분위기→독보적 아우라 [Day6 unveils group photo of new song 'Zombie'… Vacant atmosphere → unrivaled aura]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Hyojin (May 8, 2020). '컴백' 데이식스, 리릭 티저 공개 "소리쳐 울면 나아질까" ['Comeback' Day6 reveals Lyric teaser "Is it better to cry out loud?"]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved May 8, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Seunghoon (May 10, 2020). "역시 믿듣데"..데이식스, 'Zombie' 포함 전곡 맛보기 음원 공개 '컴백 D-1' ["I believe it too.". Day Six, 'Zombie', including all song tasting music release 'Comeback D-1']. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (May 11, 2020). "좀비가 됐어" DAY6, 활동중단 아쉬움 달래는 위로의 노래 'Zombie'[들어보고서] ["I'm a zombie" DAY6, Song of Comforting Soothing to Stop Working 'Zombie' [Listen Report]]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved May 12, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kim, Seon-woo (April 30, 2020). DAY6, 타이틀곡 'Zombie'로 컴백..트랙리스트 공개 '기대감 UP' [DAY6, comeback with title song 'Zombie' .. Tracklist released 'Expectation UP']. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Daum.