DAHADA, which translates to “do everything,” fills their first EP to the brim with a thick, joyous rock sound. Lead vocalist Yoo Dami’s theatrical voice pairs perfectly with the vibrant band, offering up an impressive vocal performance alongside a brilliantly bright sound.
twentysomething, the band’s first EP, arrives after three singles, one OST, and six years of posting material on YouTube. It feels like the most full expression of the band’s previous songs, and it takes the group’s sound and makes it even bigger and anthemic. Almost every song on the EP feels like something best experienced live during a concert or an outdoors festival.
“Flashlight” kicks off the EP at a steady walking pace and then the second song, “BLUE FLOOR,” gets everyone dancing. Through it all, Yoo demonstrates the full range of her voice, effortlessly going from a lighter tone to a driving, triumphant belt. Her voice feels like a mix of Ailee and Yun Min from the band TOUCHED: it’s powerful and flexible, easily switching from a thicker sound to a lighter, expressive color.
Halfway through the EP, the band swerves sharply into what feels like a musical intermission. “Non-caffeine club” feels like talking to a friend rather than a performance on a big stage. It’s cheeky and clever, a song that uses caffeine (or lack thereof) to talk about adulthood. “I’ll take chocolate milk instead,” the vocalist sings. “Even though I’m an adult, I’m still the same, and I don’t want to change.”
I think “Non-caffeine club” could have been a fully functioning rock song and am intrigued as to why the band chose to do such a sudden change in character and energy. While it’s not fully out of character — it feels related to the band’s first single, “RIGHT” — in the context of the EP, it feels disorienting.
The sonic change is even more jolting when the band resumes like nothing happened with “3AM,” a summer roadtrip of a song. While it’s not the most aggressive return to form, perhaps it does its job, as it’s easy to get swept into the sound and move on.
The EP ends with “Back to the future,” which feels like a song by LUCY in every good way possible. It’s bright and joyful in an unabashed way, and would be a perfect way to end a concert.
In short, I want to see them live, and if their videos are any indications for how a DAHADA show goes, I’m pretty sure I’ll love it.
There’s so much raw potential for DAHADA that I really hope that they continue as a band. Yoo’s voice is so powerful and she wields it well. If she wanted to, she could probably also do musical theatre as well and maybe do her own project to explore ideas like “Non-caffeine club.”
The band is also a delight, hitting all the marks of the punk rock genre with pizzazz. It’s not anything radically new per se, but it’s still really good and fun, and I’m convinced to keep tuning in for whatever they release next.
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Ashley J Chong
Ashley J Chong writes and listens to music. She claims the American Midwest, Montreal, and Seoul as different shades of home. You can find her at @ashley.assorted.