alone in the city

Dreamcatcher (드림캐쳐) - Alone In The City (3rd Mini Album) [REVIEW]

By amycampbell00 - October 07, 2018


Everyone has their own definitions of perfection. Nothing is ever going to be universally considered to be perfect. Even then, when there IS something big that you think everyone seems to love, there's always going to be one or two people who don't like it. (Take me not liking The Lion King that much, for example. Yeah, I know. Fight me.) But then, on the opposite end of things, you may have something that you feel is amazing and deserving of so much more attention... but it goes ignored by the masses and falls into obscurity, regardless of its quality. That's the worse situation to be in, if you ask me.

...and it's also why we shouldn't be afraid to sing our praises when we feel something truly deserves it. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about things we love - hell, it's why I created this blog in the first place.

So why am I talking about all of this? Why am I talking about perfection here? Well, if you've read the title, you should know this is a review of Dreamcatcher's latest mini album, "Alone In The City". And if my preamble here is anything to go by... well, I think I can sum up my reaction to this project in one sentence:

This is (in my eyes) one of the best albums I've heard in a long, long time.

Yeah. We're in for a ride with this one.

I've got a LOT to talk about here; expect a bit of rambling as to why I love this so much. But in the midst of it all, I do hope you at least see things from my point of view, and understand as to why this album is so perfect in my eyes.

(Also, before this starts: I want to apologise for this review taking so long - I wanted to do this way, WAY sooner. But I actually lost all of my blog-related stuff whilst moving to a new laptop, meaning I've had to start from scratch for this. So that was fun. And not stressful at all. 😶

 Also there are no custom GIFs in this post, either. My giffing software is being a pain in the ass. Sorry.)

1 - INTRO 

I'm not normally one to like intros in any kind of album. I might've mentioned this in the KARD review, but I normally don't feel like they add very much if they're not done right. But... it's Dreamcatcher. That's pretty much never going to be a problem for me.

In a successful attempt to carry on the trend of badass and intense intros heard on their previous releases, the instrumental on this intro just goes nuts. It's balls-to-the-wall badass in the best way possible. The way the guitars build, the way they carry the song forward, even that tiiiiiiiny little solo/riff we get towards the end - it marks this album as something very different from the K-Pop norm. This isn't any regular album - it's a Dreamcatcher album. And this intro honestly leaves me wishing this was a full-on song. With lyrics.

This intro manages to establish the style and vibe Dreamcatcher is going for as a group, whilst also managing be so goddamn dramatic and unique. It's perfect movie trailer material!

2 - WHAT [TITLE]

D'you remember how I talked about perfection in the beginning of this review? Yeah. I do. So let me ask you this, dearest unsuspecting reader:

Do you want an example of what I consider to be both musical AND conceptual perfection?

WELL HERE YOU FUCKING GO, FOLKS.

...I shit you not when I say I bawled my eyes out upon hearing this song for the first time. Yes. I'm 100% serious.

I cried like a fucking baby.

There are literally only a handful of songs that have done that to me. Amber and Luna's "Wave" from a few years back was one example - the pure anticipation I had for that song and the absolute delight I felt upon hearing it for the first time caused me to shed a few tears. But... not in the same way as "What". Oh no.

I do not think I've EVER fallen in love with a song so quickly. Like... where the fuck do I even start?! 

The girls' vocals are emotional yet powerful - ESPECIALLY SIYEON'S, but I'll talk about her in a second - the instrumental is intense as fuck yet beautiful with the violins in the pre-choruses, the lyrics are melancholic and pleading in a beautifully dark way, the momentum this song has is explosive, the video is beautiful yet creepy... just... wow. Seriously. Wow. Dreamcatcher may have made my dream K-Pop song here.

But, like I said, I want to give Siyeon a quick spotlight. Not only because she's my bias, but... she's the main reason I cried with this song. Every single one of the members has a STUNNING voice. The instrumental in this song grabs your attention and refuses to let go as it builds momentum coming up to the first chorus. But it's when you hear Siyeon's voice that it just... hits you. It all falls into place. It clicks. And, putting it lightly, SHE IS ABSOLUTELY SMASHING THIS CONCEPT Y'ALL.

She's got that sort of powerful, yet overwhelmingly emotional vocal timbre that just... gets to you. And yet, while I've always felt she's a superb vocalist - she's my bias after all - this is the first era where I feel she absolutely crushes it with her vocal performances. It's next-level stuff. And the other members are honestly just as amazing - every single one of them gives a phenomenal performance here.

Oh yeah, and did I mention those lyrics?

Shake me up, find me the answer in this nightmare
Hold my hand, shine a light, so I can wake up

Yeah. They're right up my fucking alley.

So that's great and all, bUT I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED THE GODDAMN CHOREOGRAPHY YET.

This shit is the reason I laugh on the inside every time somebody says there's a girl group in the K-Pop industry who has better choreographies than Dreamcatcher. Say what you want, but if you ask me, they cannot be beaten. They've got sharpness, fluidity, insane synchronisation, an attention to detail... it's just superb. This is one of those dances that, while it's not absolutely nuts the entire way through, still makes your jaw drop at quite a few parts. It leaves a lasting impact, matches the song perfectly, and delivers one hell of a punch.

This is, by my own definition of the word, a solid masterpiece of a song. That's not a word I use lightly. Occurrences like this are so damn rare for me that I'm emotionally floored when they do happen. It's a once-in-a-blue moon event for ANYTHING to resonate with me in this way.  But when it does happen... hoo boi, it's one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. I've found not only what is destined to be my song of the year for this year, but one of my new favourite songs period.

Fucking bravo, Dreamcatcher.

3 - WONDERLAND

Going off of their other albums, we know Dreamcatcher like to be a bit more experimental with their side tracks. Which, that's something I always look forward to - I love artists with versatility! And this so happens to be the side track they chose to promote alongside "What", even though there's another track on this album I would've personally preferred (I'll get back to that later). "Wonderland" certainly delivers a big change of pace for Dreamcatcher, but not in a way that feels jarring or out of place - it sounds great.

Now I know a lot of people have been praising this song as a great slow jam, and a really sensual song... but am I the only one that gets some major creepy vibes from this too? Think about it. There's the obvious Alice In Wonderland inspiration in some of the lyrics, but... those distorted vocals in the chorus are very jarring and off-putting. Plus, you've got Gahyeon's lines in the choruses, which... yeah, they speaks for themselves, really.

Oh, it's strange
My body, my eyes, I’m possessed
My breaths taking in this air
My head is dizzy

...yyyyyyeah. There's something not right here. It's almost as if there's a lack of control? And I don't mean in a bad relationship sort of way, I mean in a... hypnotic trance kind of way? That's the best way I can describe it. And as someone who fully admits they're really fascinated by creepy shit like that, SIGN ME THE FUCK UP.

But the song itself certainly delivers on both the lyrics and the members' airy, yet haunting performances. It's more of a typical slow jam, but honestly, when it sounds this good, I'm not even phased by the overused trap snares. There's so much more to it than that; the instruments all combine to give an incredibly floaty, dream-like feel to the song itself. It's different, it's striking, and it stands out in the best way possible. And then there's Siyeon's high note, which... holy fuck, this is her era alright.

Plus we have choreography for this song too! ...well, kinda.

There isn't much "choreography" of sorts to talk about here, but what IS there is awesome! It's super smooth and on-point, as always. But honestly? I feel like the lack of choreography adds to that creepy vibe I mentioned previously! It compliments the song perfectly. Normally I'd complain about the minimal direction, especially with a group that's as talented as Dreamcatcher when it comes to dancing, but it works beautifully here. It's certainly not something I expected, but "Wonderland" proved to be a lovely surprise!

4 - TRAP

Now this is another thing I don't say very often, but... THIS IS DOUBLE TITLE TRACK MATERIAL, PEOPLE. WHUT.

Don't get me wrong, I really really do love "Wonderland", but whoever at Happy Face Entertainment decided to choose it as the second title track over "Trap" can meet me in a back alley. 'CAUSE THIS SHIT BOPS H A R D.

 It's also a fantastic example of a bait and switch done right. Don't lie, when you listened to this song for the first time you were reacting like this little guy to that INSANE metal snippet at the beginning:

[gif source]

Because if you reacted any other way, you're not human. I'm sorry, but it's the truth.

But then the song switches back to the quiet, guitar-based intro we had heard a second ago. It's confusing... but then it starts to gain momentum. More and more guitars get added, as well as some heavy drums, the girls' vocals gradually start getting more intense, and then you reach the chorus. That's when this song EXPLODES INTO A BIG OL' PILE OF AWESOMENESS.

It's not quite as rocky as that initial metal snippet, but it's certainly close to being just as intense, if you ask me. It's actually got more of a synth-based, almost EDM sound to it, and that... that's just made better by Siyeon. I will say it again - THIS IS HER ERA. Her vocals in this song are fucking outstanding.  They're so goddamn intense, it's ridiculous! She's got so much raw power behind her, it blows me away. She soars through this song effortlessly.

But that's not to say the other members don't pull their weight, cause they really do! "Trap" is very much an all-rounder, and it's honestly a crime that more people don't know about this song. It really is the full goddamn package. That extends to the lyrics, too, which... are surprisingly emotional.

They all hate me
And this isn't going to get better
I'm crying heavy tears
I can't handle it

I'm used to breakup songs being a petulant kiss-off to the other person, but it's certainly a much more interesting angle to look at the person whose heart has actually been broken. "Trap" has a very big emotional gutpunch to its lyrics, surprisingly, and it honestly heightens the quality of the overall song itself.

So, um, yeah, Happy Face, if we could have a special stage for this song now? That'd be great, thanks.

5 - JULY 7TH (약속해 우리)

...well damn, if you had told me Dreamcatcher would end up experimenting with reggae I'm not sure I would've believed you. But "July 7th" is now a thing! So there's that!

And, honestly, is there any concept these girls can't pull off? I'm sorry EXO, but THIS is how you mix reggae with K-Pop. No absurdly loud, out-of-place drops here - just an incredibly relaxing song that's perfect to listen to on a rainy day. This is one of those songs that's absurdly catchy, but you don't realise it until it's been stuck in your head for 4 whole days...

Although, just like "Wonderland", I'm yet again left with a very creepy vibe here - am I honestly the only one getting creepy girlfriend vibes?! Maybe it's Handong's vocal slur on "And I~ missed you so much", maybe it's the plodding marimba and minor key... I don't know. There's something about this song that gives me slight hints of yandere. But I fucking love that. It's more than likely meant to be a sad breakup song, but let my mind run rampant, ok?

I do feel like some of that extends into the lyrics too. Yes, they can of course be viewed as melancholic break-up material - which they actually pull off amazingly, there's a really nice level of detail to these lyrics - oooooor you can be weird like me and get continual yandere vibes.

As time goes by, we
We will have to quickly separate again
It truly won’t be easy, so I promise
I won't let you go

Whatever way you choose to look at it, "July 7th"'s melancholic yet sturdy groove serves as a beautiful closer to the album itself, and rounds it out perfectly. It adds another dose of variety to an already brilliant mini album.

•••••

All in all... goddamn, this is an overwhelmingly amazing project. Like I said, it's really one of the best things I've heard in a while - the musical variety and talent on display is second to none. If you haven't started stanning Dreamcatcher yet, let this album change that. Because trust me. It will. 😉



ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS IN THIS REVIEW:

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