On My Youth (or in Chinese: Regret Effect) is a mid-tempo ballad that expresses one’s realisation of their regrets over their lost love back when they were young… Back when they were immature.
– An article about WayV’s 2nd Album. Translations provided by WayV Airlines on X(-Twitter)
A big part of what made me love WayV has been their incredible vocal performances and their musical style: a grand mix of hip-hop, electric guitars or strings, and futuristic beats. Their single run up till Phantom has been consistently good to amazing. On My Youth is the first title track to deviate from the group’s usual bombastic style. So how does On My Youth fare against its predecessors?
It’s… frustrating.
Not because it’s bad. If anything, I absolutely love the production! For its genre, its approach is unique that still feels like a ‘WayV’ track; the feathery touches of piano keys and strings, and EDM beats. You can hear it in the intro and verses where the beats underline the (ever always) beautiful vocals and rap, or the bridge where the strings and percussion intensify as we reach a fantastic climax. And then there’s the chorus.
Perhaps the producers felt obligated to emphasise the hip-hop element given WayV’s identity, and by extension, the NCT brand. But the way they went about it for the chorus ended up sounding unnatural. The combination of a sound akin to sirens and the members’ delivery when they accentuate words like “youth” and “juice” comes off as whiny in an emotionally-charged song. An approach like that does a disservice to WayV’s wonderful vocals. Repeated listens does make the switch-up less jarring, especially when the strings and harmonisation are added in each succeeding chorus. Still, it’s a shame that the chorus is the weakest link of a pleasant song.
On My Youth may not be perfect, but it’s a welcome change that still retains WayV’s many strengths. While I am happy with their title track streak so far, I do hope their adventurous origins from 2019 to 2020 (i.e. Take Off, Turn Back Time) have not been forgotten. But hey! If they wish to turn back time and deliver another song akin to their rookie years for future singles, then you bet I’ll be tuning in.
Composed by: Peter Wallevik, Daniel Davidsen, Mich Hansen, Janée “Jin Jin” Bennett, Bobii Lewis, Wayne Hector, Teshaun Armstrong, Rick Bridges
Arranged by: PhD
Header Image Source: Official WayV X(-Twitter)
Fool With Thoughts 
Glad to see you return to blogging Haruko!
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