Dye (stylized in all caps) is the eleventh extended play (EP) by South Korean boy band Got7. It was released digitally and physically on April 20, 2020 by JYP Entertainment and distributed by Dreamus. It contains six songs, including the lead single "Not By the Moon", and four bonus tracks. It follows their previous EP Call My Name (2019). Musically, the EP incorporates various genres and styles including synth-pop, trap, reggaeton, house, jazz and pop.
Commercially, the album debuted atop South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and has sold more than 460,000 copies. It also entered the BillboardWorld Albums Chart at number four. Got7 promoted the album with live performances on various music shows.
On April 2, 2020, it was reported that Got7 was preparing for a comeback in late April or early May and the exact date was yet to be finalized.[1][2] On April 6, the group announced the upcoming release of extended playDye with lead single "Not By the Moon" by posting a trailer film and ten cinema scripts, narrated in English.[3][4] On April 7, the first set of solo teaser photos of each member was released.[5] On April 8, a second set of solo teaser photos were released featuring each member with masquerade ball masks.[6] On April 11, the band released a group photo teaser done up in a vintage style.[7] On April 12, 4 sets of teaser photos featuring four different sub-units were released.[8] The full album tracklist was released on April 13.[9] On April 14, the band released lyrics teasers of songs from the EP.[10] On April 15, the first music video teaser for the lead single "Not By the Moon" was released.[11] A second music video teaser was released on April 16.[12] On April 17, an album spoiler preview was released featuring some highlights of the album songs.[13] On April 18, the band posted "monograph" teaser videos of the album.[14] A few hours prior to the album release, JYP released behind-the-scenes of jacket shooting.[15] The album was released on April 20, 2020, in both CD and digital formats.[16] An accompanying music video for the lead single "Not By the Moon" was released in conjunction with the release of the album.[17] The video makes references to themes of "royalty", "astronomy", "mystical motifs" and "magic" as the band clad in white perform "complex choreography".[18][19] It was heavily inspired by English playwright and poet William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet.[20]
Dye consists of six songs while the physical version contains four additional bonus tracks.[21] The EP's title is a pun on the word "dye" which refers to both colour and death as they relate to "eternal love".[18] According to Got7, the album "epitomizes a permanent pledge of love" that sonically follows their 2019 EP Call My Name "but is more mournful and powerful."[20][18] The album opens with the "dreamy" number "Aura" written by Young-jae.[22] The lead single, "Not By the Moon" is a trap and synth-pop song, produced and written by JYP Entertainment's CEO Park Jin-young (J.Y. Park),[18] with the collaboration with renowned songwriter duo Jakob Mihoubi and Rudy Daouk.[23] It sets a darker tone for the EP and incorporates a "heaviness" in its production.[18][24] It also features high tones and harmonies.[18] "Love You Better" is a jazz and pop song with a synth-pop chorus and was written by Got7's Jin-young.[24] "Crazy" is built on future bass and contains an "addictive" melody written by JB.[22] It features "high-synth smatterings" over "hard-hitting bass drum pattern."[24] "Trust My Love" is a hybrid of reggaeton and house with elements of R&B for which "intense" drum beats and EDMbass provide minimalist instrumentation.[24][22] "Poison" features an actual whistle and was written by Yugyeom.[22] The last four tracks "Ride", "Gravity",『God Has Return + Mañana』and "JY&YG Dance" were performed by the band on the 2019 Keep Spinning World Tour and are only available on the CD version of the album.[25][26]
On April 25, 2020, Got7 held an online showcase which was broadcast live via Naver's V Live app.[27] They performed "Aura", "Not By the Moon", "Love You Better" and "Poison" for the first time at the showcase.[28] The showcase was a success, reaching 1.77 million concurrent viewers worldwide.[29][30] The group then promoted the album with a series of live performances on various music shows, starting with Mnet's M Countdown! on April 23.[31] The group also promoted the songs on KBS's Music Bank,[32]MBC's Show! Music Core[33] and SBS
's Inkigayo.[34] In the second week of promotion, "Not By the Moon" won first place at MBC Music's Show Champion on April 29.[35] This was followed by wins on M Countdown! and Music Bank.[36][37] The group also appeared as guests on the April 30 episode of SBS Power FMRadio Show to discuss their album.[38]
Chris Gillett of South China Morning Post gave the album a positive review, praising the diverse musical styles explored in the EP which makes it "compelling". He wrote: "Whether it’s the brash synth-bass parts, the dense synth layers, or their undeniably silky hooks that weave their way in between the music, each component creates its own journey, without pulling away from the song’s nature."[24]
The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart, selling 280,000 physical copies in its first week.[39][40] Additionally, it topped the monthly Gaon Chart for the month of April selling 339,737 copies.[41] It also debuted at number 4 on the US World Albums chart and at number 9 on the US.Heatseekers Albums chart.[42][43] It entered the US Independent Albums at number 45 for the week ending May 2 and charted at number 49 on the UK Album Downloads Chart for the week ending April 30.The album also achieved no 1 in iTunes in 50 countries.[44][45]
^Jung, Ji-won (April 2, 2020). "[단독]'글로벌 대세' 갓세븐, 4월 말 가요계 컴백…5개월 만 귀환" [[Exclusive] 'Global trend' GOT7, comeback in late April… Return in 5 months]. JoyNews24 (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020.
^Park, Yun-jin (April 7, 2020). "갓세븐, 신곡 개인 티저 공개…신비+영롱 매력 발산" [GOT7 reveals new personal teaser ... Mysterious + radiant charm radiates]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kyung, Jimin (April 11, 2020). "갓세븐, 새 앨범 'DYE' 단체 사진 최초 공개..로맨틱 비주얼+사랑의 맹세 [Oh!쎈 컷]" [GOT7 unveils group photo of new album 'DYE' for the first time..Romantic Visual + Pledge of Love [Oh! 쎈 Cut]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kang, Seo-jung (April 12, 2020). "갓세븐, 새 앨범 'DYE' 유닛 티저 클래식한 아름다움 '비주얼 대잔치'" [GOT7, new album 'DYE' unit teaser classic beauty 'visual big feast']. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Hyojin, Jeon (April 13, 2020). "JYP 박진영, 갓세븐 신곡 참여…트랙리스트 공개" [JYP Park Jin-young, GOT7 new song participation… Track List Disclosure]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Seunghoon (April 14, 2020). "'컴백 D-6' GOT7, 'DYE' 리릭 티저 공개..로맨틱 가사에 '기대감 UP'" ['Comeback D-6' GOT7, 'DYE' Lyric teaser released .. 'Expectation UP' in romantic lyrics]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kim, Min-ji (April 16, 2020). "갓세븐, '낫 바이 더 문' MV 티저 공개…격렬한 군무" [GOT7, 'Not by the Moon' MV teaser released… Violent military affairs]. News1 (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kim, Eunae (April 17, 2020). "GOT7 컴백, 새 앨범 'DYE' 전곡 스포일러 영상 공개..높은 완성도 예고[공식]" [GOT7 comeback, new album 'DYE' full song spoiler video released..High completion notice [Official]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kang, Seo-jung (April 18, 2020). "'컴백 D-2' 갓세븐, 영롱한 왕자님 포스 담은 모노그래프 티저 공개..컴백 열기 UP" ['Comeback D-2' GOT7 unveils monograph teaser containing Prince of Glory..Opens comeback UP]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kim, Mi-ji (April 13, 2020). "갓세븐 신곡 '낫 바이 더 문', JYP 박진영 작사·작곡·편곡 참여" [GOT7's new song 'Not by the Moon', JYP Park Jin-young written lyrics, composition, arrangement]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^"GOT7- NOT BY THE MOON". GOT7 Official Website (in Korean). April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
^Kim, Eunae (April 21, 2020). "GOT7 갓세븐, 'NOT BY THE MOON' 국내외 음원차트 정상..컴백 쇼케이스 성료[공식]" [GOT7 GOT7, 'NOT BY THE MOON' Summit of domestic and foreign music charts .. Comeback showcase successful [Official]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Deok-haeng (April 21, 2020). "GOT7, 컴백 쇼케이스 성료…'NOT BY THE MOON' 국내외 음원차트 정상" [GOT7, comeback showcase successful ... 'NOT BY THE MOON' Top music charts at home and abroad]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Choi, Hee-jae (April 23, 2020). "GOT7, 컴백 쇼케이스 성료…'NOT BY THE MOON' 국내외 음원차트 정상" ['MCountdown' GOT7, 'NOT BY THE MOON' first comeback stage… Previous visual]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Si-yeon (April 24, 2020). "'뮤직뱅크' 에이핑크 '덤더럼' 1위, 갓세븐X에이프릴 컴백 [★밤TView]" ['Music Bank' A Pink 'Dum Durham' Winner, GOT7 X April Comeback [★ Night TView]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kang, Min-kyung (April 25, 2020). "'음악중심' 갓세븐, 7人7色 영원한 ♥의 맹세 '낫 바이 더 문' [별별TV]" ['Music Core' GOT7, 7 people 7 色 The oath of eternal ♥ 'Nat by the Moon' [Star TV]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Jeong-ho (April 26, 2020). "'인기가요' 갓세븐, 갓벽한 비주얼 뽐낸 암도적 컴백[별별TV]" ['Inkigayo' GOT7, Ambitious comeback with fresh visuals [Star TV]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Ha, Soo-jung (April 29, 2020). "'쇼챔피언' 갓세븐, 컴백후 첫1위..마마무 솔라 솔로 데뷔x에이프릴 컴백 [종합]" ['Show Champion' GOT7, first place after comeback .. Mamamu Solar solo debut x April comeback [Comprehensive]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Shin, So-won (May 1, 2020). "'뮤직뱅크' 갓세븐1위『아가새 감사하고 사랑해』팬 사랑" ['Music Bank' GOT7 No. 1 "Thank you, I love you lover" Fan love]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Seunghoon (April 30, 2020). ""'컬투쇼' 찢었다"..갓세븐X솔라, 콘서트장 방불케 한 '귀호강 라이브쇼' [종합]" ["'Curl To Show' torn" .. GOT7 X Solar, 'Gooho River Live Show' reminiscent of concert venue [Comprehensive]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Lee, Ji-joo (April 28, 2020). "갓세븐 "새 앨범 'DYE' 초동28만장+41개국1위+뮤비2천만 조회수" 자축" [GOT7 "New album 'DYE' first 280,000 copies + No. 1 in 50 countries + 20 million views of movies" Celebrating]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved May 9, 2020 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Hyejin (April 29, 2020). "'쇼챔' 갓세븐, 컴백 후 첫 음악방송1위 "너무 기뻐, 아가새 감사"(종합)" ['Show Champion' GOT7, No. 1 in the first music broadcast after a comeback "Thank you so much, thank you lover" (General)]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Gong, Mina (April 30, 2020). "'엠카운트다운' 갓세븐1위 "아가새 못 봐서 아쉽지만 감사"[★밤TView]" ['M Countdown' GOT7 No. 1 "I'm sorry I didn't see you yet, but thank you" [★ Night TView]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
^Park, Su-in (May 1, 2020). "'뮤직뱅크' 갓세븐, 에이핑크 꺾고1위 "상 받을 수 있어 행복"" ['Music Bank' Got7 beat Apink, 1st place, "Happy to be rewarded"]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2020 – via Naver.
