I am back tomorrow with song reviews that I have missed whilst on my break, plus other new releases that will be released during the week. In other words, a lot to get through. But before I am officially back tomorrow, there is one last album review that I have scheduled – Dreamcatcher’s VillainS. It is their 9th mini-album release, and their second one of 2023 (the first being Apocalypse: From Us, which featured the title track BONVOYAGE). VillainS features the title track OOTD, three side tracks and an intro track – a grand total of five tracks. As usual, thoughts on each song are below.

1. Intro: This My Fashion – Kicking off the mini-album and the new chapter in Dreamcatcher’s career is the intro track This My Fashion, which features a repetitive autotuned or robotic utterance of the title and a more electronic rock sound profile. I found this track to be a little unsettling, thanks to the lack of anything else in the track (the lack of vocals means I will not be rating this song and including it in the ‘overall album rating’). But it definitely means that This My Fashion has an intriguing aspect to it which beckons me to listen on.

2. OOTD (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for OOTD. (7.5/10)

3. Rising – To me, Rising sounds like a throwback to their earlier rock works that they built their name on. And this throwback is definitely well executed by the group and their producers. Dreamcatcher sounds more mature in this track. The hooks and melodies in Rising are catchy and their delivery in this song just shows us how well they meld into the genre now. Also, the rock gears towards the metal corner of the genre, which feels weightier. All of this makes for a highlight on this mini-album. (10/10)

4. Shatter – While I do like the set up to Shatter and its more experimental sound profile of electronica and punk, I felt like some parts of the song were relatively softer than the rest and this left the track unbalanced, in my opinion. I wished where the vocals were soft, they were actually intensified. This would also allow the instrumentation to go harder to really fully appreciate the best of both worlds. I did like the clever interwoven classical influences in Shatter, giving another dimension to the song. (8/10)

5. We Are Young – Dreamcatcher hits the club in We Are Young, going with a progressive house sound. It is definitely a different take on the group’s usual sound, which we all know has been more rock leaning. The drop and subsequent instrumental that makes up the chorus was very satisfying and hits the spot quite well. Interestingly, the verses and bridge feature softer vocals and a more delicate touch from the members. In the bridge, the way Siyeon transitions We Are Young from these vocals back to the club vibe is probably the best bit of the song and a profound way to end of this mini-album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10