K-Pop Rookies TRENDZ Are Breaking Free on “NEW DAYZ”
Looking for a bright single to soundtrack the upcoming spring months? Look no further than TRENDZ’ latest release “NEW DAYZ”, the titular title track from the group’s 2nd single album “Blue Set Chapter: NEW DAYZ”.
Though they only debuted a year ago, “NEW DAYZ” advances TRENDZ’ reputation as a group of charismatic performers. The group’s seven members, HAVIT, LEON, YOONWOO, HANKOOK, ra.L, EUNIL, and YECHAN, contributed to the songwriting for this release and have worked hard to improve as artists in anticipation of this comeback. I first discovered TRENDZ on Music Bank, a variety show that introduces new groups weekly, with the powerful single “VAGABOND” and have watched as they’ve grown with every release. But “NEW DAYZ” is brighter than the group’s previous angsty releases and charts a colorful new direction for the boys as the Blue Set Chapter comes to a close. It’s their best release yet – and their strongest shot at the heights of power pop.
“The moment we heard the track, we thought that now we could enjoy (performing) on stage, as the title track is a bright song. Not only is the song addictive but I think the public will also like the choreography. The dance moves are really easy so we are aiming for it to go viral through challenge content on social media,” YOONWOO, the group’s vocalist and rapper, told the Korea Herald this week.
HAVIT, LEON, YUNWOO
TRENDZ also tried something new with their single: They became actors in the music video for “NEW DAYZ”. In the music video, the members portray high school students who are viciously bullied before eventually escaping to their own world.
Yechan and Hankook
“Acting was really awkward at first but we had a lot of help from Eunil, as he studied acting in high school. We practiced for hours in front of a mirror," said Yechan, the youngest in the group, in the same interview.
Like many K-Pop rookies, TRENDZ is unraveling a mysterious lore with each release. “NEW DAYZ”, the single album, advances a storyline of the boys attempting to break out of a place called “Neverland”. This story unfolds across three tracks. “It’s getting closer/ Can you escape?” the group asks in the closing lines of “Nightmare”. “Leave in nightmares/ I’m losing control then what is real?” By the final track, “Fantasy”, TRENDZ have escaped. They’ve pushed past the violence of their school days to find freedom but they’ve decided to return to Neverland to help their friends who are still stuck.
ra.L and EUNIL
TRENDZ are ultimately playing with a deeper storyline, though. This is a lore that scans the isolation of youth and the loneliness that comes from never finding your place. Like their sunbaes ATEEZ, TRENDZ are depicting the brutality of being a teenager as a way to explore the search for your own identity and, ultimately, learning to love yourself.
Nestled into this music is ultimately a message of comfort for TRENDZ’ fans, who they call FREINDZ. “I will never let you down,” the boys sing in the chorus of “Fantasy”.
