EXID change things up to mixed results on “Night Rather Than Day”

EXID are back with “Night Rather Than Day,” but they’re down Solji. While she’s out of commission, it seems like they experimented a bit with their sound, for better and worse.

The scaled-back disco instrumental is a nice change of pace, and it creates a quality chill atmosphere for everybody to operate in. One does have to question why that trumpet is there in the background playing off-key, and I felt that was a bit of a lazy inclusion, which is not the best impression to give off.

“Night Rather Than Day” is not the catchiest track and it’s not intended to be, but the harmonies are nice, which ties in with the general vocal interest in this. Hyerin handles the high notes with aplomb, Hani singing in her natural range is what I wished for, and Junghwa doesn’t ruin anything. Most importantly, LE and the vocal trio all combine effectively throughout the song to become more than just their individual performances.

That said, I’m not exactly a fan either. The retro vibes are there and I hear some Motown influence on this, but it lacks impact and for the most part it’s hard to deny that this sounds like a filler B-side track. It’s safe and it’s pleasant, with flashes of being interesting, but at the end of the day it’s just kinda there and even the music video plays into that.

A common refrain has been that EXID need to change their sound up, and while they’ve done that here, I have my doubts that it’s what they had in mind. Still, I believe they can manage an impressively wide range of sounds, so I just hope “Night Rather Than Day” isn’t indicative of the direction for the group going forward.

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