Making their comeback yesterday was NCT DREAM, with the repackaged version of their second studio album. This version of their second studio length album and the title track are both titled Beatbox. This follows the release of Glitch Mode, the title of both their second studio album and title track, back in March of this year. I will be reviewing the full Beatbox and Glitch Mode album versions as a singular album some time in the near future. But until then, enjoy my review for the Beatbox title track.

I gave one listen to Beatbox yesterday upon its official release and I found myself to be bopping along to the music. That is definitely one of the best feelings when a new song comes out – falling right into it as a listener from the get-go. Talking about the get-go (literally the first second or so), the way Mark started off Beatbox with his raspy vocals left a strong impression on me. I just want to keep replaying that one second or so over and over again. What also really attracted me to Beatbox is the atmosphere it created in less than 3 minutes. I found Beatbox to be extremely fun, vibrant, upbeat, energetic, catchy and addictive – all rolled into one package! Perfect as a summer track! And I liked that the choruses felt bold/explosive (relative to the verses), especially for the final run at the end of Beatbox. On top of that, Jeno’s whispered ‘Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox‘ line was super effective and clever in a contrasting sense to practically every other element in the song. For a song titled Beatbox, beatboxing appearing is a no-brainier. Instead of it being the focal point of the vocal/rapping, however, the beatboxing was mixed into the background, bringing a dynamic factor to the song, especially during the instrumental breaks that facilitate the dance breaks we will get in the performances for Beatbox. Pairing with the beatboxing is the rapping, which added to Beatbox‘s vibrant profile and colour. This song allowed the rappers to shine and do their thing. The vocals were not in the limelight this time around, but they did enough to maintain and incorporate a pop genre presence in the song. However, the breakdown in the bridge to incorporate some more vocals into Beatbox felt a little cliché for my liking. I don’t mind the use of technique, but I wished the producers were a bit more inventive, just to be on par with the overall creativity I personally felt come from Beatbox.

I felt the video worked really well with Beatbox when it comes to the dynamic and vibrant fronts. I like how a large bulk of it is shot outside in the sun, as opposed to the usual set (though this video didn’t managed to escape the use of sets). The natural lighting really helps makes everything more inviting and appealing to watch. The video portrayed the members as the ‘cool kids on the block’, featuring them at school and at hangout spots outside of school. I also liked their casual and urban looks that they had going on throughout the video. It matches the setting and the vibes in which the song was exuding.

As mentioned earlier, the beatboxing gives off a dynamic feel and this is definitely felt in the choreography. The entire routine was really well done and is probably one of the best I have seen this year thus far. I enjoyed everything for the footwork to the handwork (especially the key move when they perform the line ‘Everywhere I go, bring the beatbox‘) to the different dance breaks we got throughout the performance. The energy they also bring to the performance also made it look so good. I also like how at the end during the vocal sections there were two different sets of moves happening, but yet the stage looked cohesive.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10