RIIZE’s new album has a very strong visual element, with music videos or shortened “track videos” for each song. Because of this (and because the album is so strong), I’ll be working through the entire track list over the next few days. Make sure to check back often!
1. Odyssey // 2. Bag Bad Back // 3. Ember To Solar // 4. Fly Up // 5. Show Me Love // 6. Passage // 7. Midnight Mirage // 8. The End Of The Day // 9. Inside My Love // 10. Another Life
THE END OF THE DAY
Wow… we do not hear pop ballads like this in K-pop anymore. Sometimes we’ll get one as part of an OST for a drama, but most albums steer clear of this sentimental sound in favor of vibier tracks. I’ll always be biased toward big dance songs, but if we’re talking about ballads this is the style I love.
Everything about The End Of The Day serves nostalgia, right from the opening keys and gentle vocal flourish. SM Entertainment built a large part of their sound on songs like this, which in turn hearken all the way back to western boy bands of the 90’s like Boyz II Men and Backstreet Boys. The instrumental is warm and ornate, offering great texture. But as with any ballad of this nature, the true power lies in its vocal arrangement and performance. RIIZE really showcase their skill here. It’s rare to hear a modern idol group throw so much work into their vocal recording, but The End Of The Day drips with passion. You hear it in the runs and flourishes and especially in the showstopping bridge.
This approach is what transforms a boring ballad into a stunning ballad. The song itself is nothing special within its genre, but the execution absolutely elevates it. What a refreshing sound!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I held my breath as I clicked play, because one of Jonghyun’s masterpieces was also called “End of Day”. It is the one that ends with the “You did a good job” lines.
As for this song, yeah, it may as well be a Boyz II Men cover for an OST. They do pretty well with the material. As others mentioned in other posts, Super Junior also throw a song like this on almost every album too such as ….. scrolls randomly through … “Islands” on the Hey Mamacita nega ay ya ya ya ya yaaaa album.
Here is Jonghyun’s for the kids here. No I am not crying, much.
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Very reminiscent of 1st gen ballads, like TVXQ’s I Believe:
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Continuing the 2nd gen realness from Hug I see. So glad they’re bringing back this sound to the current landscape. A few groups are focused on nostalgia but the way Riize is executing their stuff hits different
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