Edgy bangers for the angsty nocturnalites and the sexy feel-gooders are what the boyband subgroup whose name rhymes with “crazy” has always done best. was the sauciness we’ll never forget. The beloved exuded gothic masquerade. But 2023 onwards, they’ve been mellowing out: bleeding something other than, well, blood… and taking us on a sweeter ride.
If On My Youth was the heartbroken youth trying to pick up their own pieces, Give Me That is what happened after they went to therapy. You can immediately recognise the NCT groove amidst the cheeky percussions and confident vocals of the titular song. WayV are demanding it: ‘Gimme your love, gimme your love.’ The muted trumpet in the odd verse sounds like a swanky fly, and the bridge is adorable yet suspenseful, sparing not a second to waste. If it wasn’t already zesty enough for you, YangYang’s vinyl purple trousers in the track’s official music video should be the convincing factor.
Peak R&B smoothness caresses your ears in “She A Wolf”. A muffled intro gives the illusion of being outside a cosy bar they’re performing in, before being invited in by Ten: “Call me up / Meet me up on a late night”. Every other piece of the EP is a mix of Chinese and English, but “She A Wolf” is a little present to their Korean fans, highlighting their global appeal. The fluidness of the song is eased along by the singers’ deadly sweet voices: and Xiaojun in particular shines. In the lyrics, the boys are thrown back by this girl’s confidence and beauty, and the chorus will also throw you off by its abrupt entrance each time, which slowly melts back into the previous tone. Wolf howls and old school hiphop elements embellish this perfect little entryway into the B-sides of the album.
“Might As Well” roots its jolly sound in the Old West with country guitar twangs energised by a grunty bass. The catchy chorus is just inhalable, and by the end, everyone’s singing along. “New Ride” follows by sliding in with a cheery indie guitar beat. It’s one of those endlessly blissful “everything’s gonna be alright” sort of tunes, tended to with a sunny tone and complete absence of the grunge and drama of their older hits. Everyone needs a cute little song for the summer, and WayV came just in time.
The boys are no strangers to happy tunes of course. Fans of their songs “We go nanana” and “Dream Launch“ will have been absolutely delighted with the endless good vibes they’re bringing this time round. And to wrap it all up is a cosy, Ed Sheeran-y anthem for those whose arms were aching for a good over-the-head swaying. Last but certainly not least and a great ending to another strong record, “Don’t Get Mad“ is a lighthearted callout to a jealous lover: of the boy who’s just nice to everyone.
Give Me That is out now. WayV can be found on Instagram here and on all streaming platforms.
