And a song to put a big bang in your weekend!

[Video][Website]
[5.50]

Micha Cavaseno: Orgiastically boneheaded, the more time continues with Taeyang, the more his singles slim down further and further on ideas, and more become enraptured with the simple pleasure of Taeyang enjoying himself. The production is a bunch of melodramatic beats that imply a grandiose sense of self while barely being anything, the sound a Zayn album where the kid wasn’t so overwrought with trying to prove himself (and flopping hideously), and it culminates in a trite superfizz of electric pixelation. Unlike the eternal eagerness to please of groupmate GD, Taeyang is happy to laze about, and as a result the record feels about as half-baked as a dream murmur.
[3]

Tim de Reuse: Not so much structurally lopsided as completely sideways, leaning all weight on its ability to deliver a satisfying, sudden crush of a drop; unfortunately, said drop is rather tepid. Though the melodies are sufficiently anthemic and the synths sufficiently sparkly, something in the sound design is undeniably restrained; the bass is a low hum, the lead has had its distortion worked over with a power sander, and the drums might as well have politely moved to another room. There’s little in there that threatens to overwhelm or surprise on first listen, and the clear intent to bedazzle makes it all the more disappointing that it doesn’t. Mixed uncomfortably loud over it all, Taeyang belts out his performance, oblivious to the shy, silky choir underneath him.
[4]

Alfred Soto: The echo, sudden drops, and passive character suggest an acquaintance with The Weeknd’s anomic moments, but the vocal is warmer, the falsetto suppler. We’re lucky we don’t understand most of the lyrics.
[7]

Thomas Inskeep: Too slow and too pneumatic. 
[4]

Nortey Dowuona: A 2012 pop song, and those were bad pop song years. Taeyang’s singing is too clumsy and wide for such a narrow bassline and stuffy drum & synth programming.
[3]

Adaora Ede: Defending the overarching hokeyness of an EDM song titled “Wake Me Up” in an era in which we should be greater and enjoy subtlely in the deeper meaning of pop music is difficult. Yes, we as a society may have forgotten about the golden age poptronic rock, like a notification for a bad memory on Facebook. And yeah, Taeyang’s verses might reach the rising action and then the falling action too awkwardly for this to be a true ballad or even a cellphones-in-the-air anthem. I’m very into the drone-y and shoe gaze influence found in the flickers of ambience in the intro and the muted emotion, but the lack of the trademark loudmouthed swag-cum-noise-cum-appropriation expected from the YG Guys makes me feel like I’m listening to one of those “3D audio in an empty room listen with headphones” edit videos instead of an actual song. Oh, wait….this wasn’t produced by Teddy? Carry on.
[6]

Alex Clifton: “Wake Me Up” is dreamy and droppy and much better than I expected. Taeyang, like his bandmate G-Dragon, drips sex appeal, but this song is calculated to show off a softer side after hotter hits like “Ringa Linga.” Taeyang sells it well and lifts a song that could’ve been far more ordinary into a more pleasant number, buoyed by a strong vocal performance. Like all good dreams, it eventually comes to an end, but it’s one I really wouldn’t mind replaying.
[7]

Ramzi Awn: A solid, underscored single that straddles the line between ballad and dance pop well, “Wake Me Up” references The Chainsmokers’ “Wake Up Alone” ft. Jhene with due respect.
[8]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: The pre-chorus may recall “Empty” but this is an unmistakable Taeyang ballad in all its self-serious, comfortably indulgent glory. Which is why the chorus is like if “Sogyeokdong” had traded in all its subtlety for brashness, its Chvrches for stadiums. The synth washes and thick reverb help paint this as the love drunk confession it is, but Taeyang’s vocalizing doesn’t always transcend the song’s lyrics. I’d concede that he sounds like he’s in a dream state when singing “Don’t wake me up, up, up,” but that’s not enough for what this song is aiming for. I want him to transfer his experience of ineffable ecstasy, to evoke images of late night intimacy filtered with heavy Gaussian blur. What we get instead is something a bit more muted, more functional. Thankfully, most of “Wake Me Up” is functional enough to make it feel blissful.
[6]

Stephen Eisermann: The drop, the sexy voice, the synth – everything about this is magical. Taeyang has a voice with R&B-leanings and it serves him well on this track. It’s a real shame US stations won’t play foreign songs because this is a bonafide hit.
[7]