Tag: NCT DREAM

Just four months after dropping their 5th studio album, Go Back to the Future (led by the singles BTTF and CHILLER), NCT DREAM re-enters the KPOP scene with another release, making this one of the busiest years yet! Their new mini-album, Beat It Up, features the title track of the same name. It also follows the solo debut of HAECHAN with CRZY in September this year (who follows MARK’s solo debut earlier this year, as well).

From the first listen, I found myself digging Beat It Up. It is a powerful and bold hip-hop track that boasts several prolific aspects. The first thing that really jumped out at me is the ‘Beat It Up‘ repetition in the background. While the thought that it might become annoying briefly crossed my mind, by the end of the first listen, I was really digging the repetition, both texturally and in its clean execution, as well as a catchy hook. Beat It Up also features some really cool rapping sequences. Both JENO and JAEMIN started the song off strong, but MARK’s sequence in the second verse really hit hard. The MARK and JENO combination as the pre-chorus before the second chorus was also a neat peak. It wouldn’t be an SM Entertainment song without some truly melodic vocals, even in a hip-hop song like Beat It Up. The vocals in the first pre-chorus and second verse really helped smooth out the bold energy, while the stripped-back bridge (a classic SM aspect) was beautifully executed by HAECHAN, CHENLE and RENJUN. JISUNG effortlessly pulls us right back into the hip-hop energy to lead us into a satisfying end to Beat It Up. Oh, and I haven’t yet spoken about the instrumental, which is full of ‘bold kicks and strong bass sounds’ (SOOMPI describes the song well, so I have borrowed their description of Beat It Up). It definitely delivers in impact and boldness.

Like the song, the music video definitely showcases NCT DREAM in a very cool limelight. The video opens with band-aids or minor scratches on the members’ faces, representing the scars they have received as part of their journey. Throughout the rest of the video, we see the members potentially engaging in heated moments with the actors in the background, a two-car head-on collision, numerous mangled bikes, crashing buildings, and a boxing ring match, all of which could explain the scratches and bruises. However, despite these, the members proudly display them as if they were battle scars and evidence of their hard work in achieving their current status. The scenes with the crashing buildings and the car collision floating in the sky (with MARK hanging onto a tyre and JISUNG/JENO in the car seats) were quite impressive moments in the video. The wiping transition at the start of the video (see the feature image for this post) was also very bold.

The boxing and punching references make sense for a routine to a song titled Beat It Up. While I am not sure if they make it into the choreography, the freestyle scenes throughout the music video also fit in well with the concept and the hip-hop nature of the song. But it is the routine for the final chorus that has me most excited. It seamlessly blends references and freestyle energy into one and serves as a really excellent closer to the dance.

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

NCT DREAM’s 5th studio album, Go Back To The Future, is due to drop on Monday. However, ahead of that release, NCT DREAM has unexpectedly dropped the music video for BTTF, the first of two title tracks for this comeback. The second title track, CHILLER, will be released next Monday, along with the rest of the album. This release is the group’s first in 8 months, and follows on from their 4th studio album Dreamscape (which I have yet to review).

For me, there was a lot to enjoy in BTTF. What I like most about the new song is bombastic instrumental. It makes for a lively and exciting backing piece. I haven’t had the song on full-blast just yet, but you can tell immediately that BTTF would be amazing at that volume. I enjoyed the synthwave that simmers in the background for most of the song. There is also a satisfying crunchiness to BTTF. The second pre-chorus also serves up a cool rock-inspired ramp-up to the chorus. The members themselves build upon the energy from the instrumental with powerful rapping and strong vocals that elevate BTTF to the next level. This impressed me throughout BTTF. Admittedly, some parts, such as the chorus, were of a shouty nature. But I say that the shoutiness works, as it gives the impression that the members are riding the energy from the instrumentation. While I do like the hooks that BTTF have to offer, there wasn’t one singular hook that stands out as the song’s primary hook. I think had BTTF had this prominent and singular hook, this would have elevated BTTF even further.

Inspired by the film Back To The Future, the music video sees the members travel through time to the past, where we see them interact with their past selves (i.e., HAECHAN passing on the hoverboard to his past self). Talking about hoverboards, I did like how the reporter asks them about the hoverboards from 2016 at the end of the video, which is a reference to the hoverboards the members incorporated into their debut choreography for Chewing Gum. Their debut date, July 25, is also referenced in the music video as D-DAY on the calendar. I also liked the futuristic and electrifying elements of the music video, which was all very cool post-production.

While the comeback hasn’t happened just yet, the group has already performed BTTF at the launch of their 2025 world tour. I did check out one of the fan videos uploaded to X. From my observations, the choreography looks super intense and powerful, matching the energy and dynamism of the song. I did like the slowed down moments, which coinicides with the pre-chorus vocals, and how they contrasted with the rest of the routine.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

I am bouncing around time at the moment. Reviews for songs last week, newer releases from this week, and now 2024 releases I have yet to review. In the lead up to the release of their 4th studio album, Dream()scape, in November 2024, NCT DREAM pre-releaed the single Flying Kiss. This preceded the single When I’m With You, which served as the title track for Dream()scape.

Flying Kiss is an alright song. It is quite a pleasant track overall, but also rather plain. I am glad it wasn’t the title track for the album. I blame the trap elements and hollow synths in the instrumental for that, as well as the verses. There were soft beats and a harp at the start. But these weren’t enough to make Flying Kiss compelling to me. Similarly, the verses were also not compelling and rather forgettable. Flying Kiss does get better when we reach the choruses. The relatively fast-paced delivery is actually charming and gives Flying Kiss a uniqueness. It also picks up Flying Kiss, which was much needed after the plain verses. The bridge also fairs better than the verses, with a strong velvety and dreamy flair exuded by the vocals. I also enjoyed the abruptly pierce change in momentum with the “I Just Wanna” change up. JENO and CHENLE’s delivery was awesome and gave impact, and it was a great way to get back to the chorus. Finally, the spoken ending line to Flying Kiss by JAEMIN stands out. Somehow it feels bold and distinct from the rest of the song, thus ending the song on a memorable note.

Like the song, Flying Kiss‘ music video was also alright. Some of it was shot using the same set as the train’s inside we saw in When I’m With You. But there was also other scenes that gave off a noticeable dreamy vibe to match the song. I liked their styling and how sweet it made them look, on brand for a group known for their youthful and bubbly charms when they first started. Definitely a nice throwback there. But there wasn’t anything exactly memorable that really makes me want to go back and revisit the video often.

The dance for this release opts for a softer and more pleasant vibe, which works well with Flying Kiss‘ instrumental. I liked how they gave the routine a kick during the chorus, which is also when the song picks up. But nothing memorable, once again. NCT DREAM themselves did look very sweet on stage and appear to really enjoy the performance, so that is something.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

Moving back to the start of the week, NCT DREAM also returned with their fourth studio album DREAMSCAPE, led by the single When I’m With You. The album also features the pre-release single Flying Kiss (yet to be reviewed on the blog) and their first English track Rains In Heaven. DREAMSCAPE is not to be confused with their DREAM()SCAPE mini-album from earlier this year (led by Smoothie).

Compared to their previous comeback, When I’m With You is a bright and vibrant track. At first glance, the brightness made it feel like When I’m With You could have been a song from earlier in their career. But with where they are at (and this was definitely obsered), the new song has a mature focus and delivery. But there is a distinct difference between When I’m With You and the tracks from their earlier days. When I’m With You is a house-based electronic song with both a 90s and disco-pop tinge. I quite like this blend of styles as it has nostalgia, and it served as a solid upbeat base to the song. NCT DREAM’s vocals are good throughout When I’m With You. I like how melody-driven the song is and how well each member did on their own. When they come together for the chorus, When I’m With You felt wholesome. That being said, there were raps in the song and the sequence at the end of the song was very punchy. But while it sounds like it is all praises for the song, I also feel When I’m With You is too safe of a song for NCT DREAM. It lacks innovative or uniqueness that would help distinguish it from its competition, and this is that distinct difference I observed when I made that comparison to their earlier works. NCT DREAM was definitely known for a youthful and fresh sound when they started out. But I also associate an outgoing charm to them back then. In When I’m With You, I don’t feel it as much. The melodies in When I’m With You are ordinary at best, and they felt limited in their delivery. Had there been more dynamic melodies, or more substantial raps, or even allowed to flourish more vocally, these would have done wonders to When I’m With You.

The video shows the members depend on one another and working as a team to resolve their problems. The toy train set on the train represents the train they are on (how Inception is that?). Renjun’s apple drops onto the toy train tracks, causing the train to brake hard. Puzzle pieces and water go flying on the train, which become obstacles the members must overcome in their dreamscape (confirmed at the end when JAEMIN wakes up from his slumber at the end of the video) later on. But they work together to dodge the heavy puzzle pieces, reboard the train, get the train running again, and escape the carriage filling up with water. This is a slightly different interpretation of the lyrics of the song, which portrays the complicated emotions as one becomes irresistibly drawn to someone in the “DREAMSCAPE.” (taken from Soompi). The video just represents that someone as each other.

The all-smiles aspect of the performance helps makes the song come off a lot more vibrant and energetic. It also continues that youthful charm that NCT DREAM has long been associated with the group since their debut (as already mentioned).

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

NCT DREAM made their return yesterday with a brand new mini-album Dream()Scape and the single Smoothie. This is the group’s first release after their ISTJ, which featured the title track of the same name, saw a whopping 4.2 million in pre-orders and 3.65 million in sales. Dream()Scape is already breaking records for NCT DREAM, with the new mini-album already breaking the group’s highest first day sales record (from what I could see on my timeline on X).

Unlike what the song title suggests, Smoothie is not a smooth song. It is definitely more coarse in terms of texture, given the mixture of rough and hard-hitting synths, intense rapping and melodic vocals (which does give Smoothie a hint of smoothness) that make up the new NCT DREAM track. I also note that Smoothie is a lot darker than usual, with the song leaning super hard into that intense and serious territory via these same elements – not expected with a song titled Smoothie at all. Each of these elements are great aspects of the track. The backing of Smoothie goes down hip-hop territory with 808 bass line and snare rhythm (based on a Soompi article). There are also some cool and interesting synth choices made for the detailing of Smoothie throughout the track, which gives the backing of Smoothie some liveliness and colour. The rapping is definitely the highlight of the track, with MARK, JENO, JAEMIN and JISUNG really bringing their A-game to the track and contributing to the intensity of Smoothie. And as mentioned above, the vocal sequences are melodic and brought a much needed relief from the intensity in the form of smoothness. The only gripe I have about Smoothie is the chorus. As charming and catchy as it is, it felt plain. I was waiting for something exciting to happen in the central part, but that never eventuated due to the simultaneous and consistent monotonous repetition of the title and the anti-drop in the instrumentation. Overall, another song from NCT DREAM, just let down slightly by the chorus.

The music video (and every teaser that was released prior to the video) was quite interesting to watch. I presume they are all linked together, as my theory involves the ()SCAPE videos being the first chapter of the story, followed by the Dirty Smoothie teasers and then the music video. The first chapter showed the members being brainwashed by an entity via instructions, medication and binary code. While they do break away from the brainwashing facility at the end of the ()SCAPE videos, life doesn’t appear to be the same as at the start of the ()SCAPE video (note the glass of water on the table in the foregrounds of the initial and final video of the ()SCAPE series). The Dirty Smoothie teasers, we see the members assimilating back to normal life, but also ignoring the dangers and negativity around them. This to me suggest that the brainwashing was successful, but ‘in part’ as the members are not mindless as the facility had intended them to be. In the opening of Smoothie‘s music video, we see a black thorn wrap around the building they are in. As the video progresses, we see the members gather ingredients for a smoothie. By the end of the video, the members have drank said smoothie and the black thorny vines have unraveled, leading me to think that brainwashing has been dispelled. As for the rest of the video, you could definitely feel the intensity from different aspects of the visuals, matching up with the song quite well.

From the snippets of the choreography I could see in the music video, intensity and energy is definitely the first thing that pops into my mind, as the performance really throws both elements right at you. For the chorus, to complement the fact that the song slows down, the members maintain the intensity but goes down a more alluring path with their dance moves. Almost sensual, but definitely holding onto that cool factor. Definitely an interesting combination for the group that I definitely going to pay attention to.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10