As I've mentioned once or twice on this blog, I've been trying to make a more concentrated effort to go outside of my comfort zone with K-Pop in 2020. Basically, my new rule is this: if I know or am familiar with an artist - or have heard buzz around them - and they release something new? I listen to it. I don't have to take notes on it, or go super in-depth. I just listen to it. Because over time, I feel like I've missed so many amazing songs and b-sides that should've been on my year-end lists - and I can confidently say that had I not listened to Reload, I would've been in that same position once again.

I'm not going to spoil exactly what makes this album so good in my eyes just yet - that's what this review is for, after all. But let me start by saying I am in no means familiar with NCT Dream; I'd never listened to any of their title tracks, having only heard them in passing, and I never felt like their youthful concept was something I was all that interested in. Sure, it suits them, and it's certainly befitting given how young some of the members are, but it's just not a personal preference of mine. And while "Boom" was a... weird song at first, it did eventually grow on me and I liked it quite a lot. I never checked out the album, but title-track wise, it was an enjoyable era and a nice, yet gradual change of concept for the Dreamies.

If we thought that was a good conceptual evolution, then man, Reload is the best kind of a slap to the face.

I may as well go a bit more in-depth to explain why, though - I really can't wait to talk about this album, so let's have a look and see what it has to offer! 

I remember listening to "Ridin'" the day it came out - I'd been listening to "Boom" an awful lot since I heard the Dreamies were having a comeback, and it had me curious to see where they would go next. I anticipated that I wouldn't like it, but... MAN, was I wrong.

"Ridin'" completely sold me on its existence within the first 10 seconds of the song. That's all it took. 

I mean, have you heard the instrumental? I know I tend to gush about a lot of different things on this blog, but oh my god. This instrumental deserves it. The verses are quiet and very minimal, with plenty of room for the members to deliver a really addictive melody and give the song a nice foundation. The pre-choruses are much more echoey and spacey, as the melody builds and more and more elements slowly get added to create the buildup... and the choruses. THE CHORUSES. That synth line is fucking incredible. It's distorted, it's warbling, it's atmospheric, and it's absolutely amazing. It gives the song such a distinctive vibe that somehow conveys its concept both all at once, and not at all - and it makes the final crescendo that much sweeter.

The melody (and especially the performances of the members) has such a sense of mystery, but at the same time, you're so goddamn fired up from "Ridin's" power and energy that you completely understand it after just a listen or two. It's brilliant from start to finish, and feels like a natural extension of how SM have been bringing music and concept much closer as of late. SM has been on top of their game when it comes to music in the past year or so, and "Ridin'" absolutely continues that trend.

I could sit here and gush about "Ridin'" for ages, but you should really just listen to it. I can explain those incredible synths and amazing buildup all I want, but if you haven't heard it, it won't really make sense. I liked "Boom", but "Ridin'" feels like the comeback that NCT Dream has had in them since they debuted. This deserves to be in the conversation of the best songs this year, and I'll sure as hell have it in mine. I can't sing its praises enough!

Now, the b-sides were where I was a bit more nervous. I have no experience with Dream's b-sides whatsoever, so I had no clue what to expect going in - the change of concept only heightened that sense of blindness. But what I had heard was everyone singing the praises of "Quiet Down" in particular. This, according to quite a few people, was an absolute banger that everyone should listen to. It was big, brash and powerful, and really marked the biggest turning point in Dream's concept.

And after listening to it... yeah, sure, it's powerful, but it's not the absolute knockout I was led to expect.

For starters, let's talk about what I like with "Quiet Down". Similar to the title track, the synths are the highlight of the instrumental. That droning, constant lead in the background is so goddamn addictive with how it's used in the verses, and it's a real shame when it cuts out to let the chorus do its own thing. The song still carries a great sense of atmosphere, though - but one of my problems with it is that it lacks the power needed to convey the conviction the title seems to imply. The title is "Quiet Down", so I'm expecting NCT Dream to really put me in my place and tell me how things really are. The instrumental... doesn't back that. The choruses feel disturbingly lightweight compared to what they probably should be, and they definitely don't carry the impact I anticipated. The instrumental's pretty, but there's a tonal mismatch there that I struggle to wrap my head around.

The biggest contributor to that tonal mismatch, though, is the song's bad habit of stopping and starting whenever it feels like it. Sure, silence and paring back the instrumental can be used effectively for emphasis - see NCT 127's "Superhuman" for a brilliant example of that. But in "Quiet Down", it's done in a way that actually hampers the song, in my opinion. It feels like the instrumental cuts out when the buildup is needed the most. Take the pre-choruses for example - where you should have a really powerful buildup leading into the chorus, the instrumental completely cuts out and ruins any momentum the song had going. It's admittedly disappointing, given the concept and general vibe of the verses. The verses are knockouts, but the pre-chorus and choruses... they could use some work. It's a real shame, especially considering how much hype it seemed to get.

I tried my best to let my expectations not mar my opinion of "Quiet Down" in general, but at the end of the day, it did leave me a little disappointed. It's definitely not bad, and it's probably a lot more enjoyable to the right people - I'm just not in that bracket. Hell, if you're looking for something like "Quiet Down", but with a little more power and conviction behind it, give NCT 127's "Sit Down" a listen; I'd argue Neo Zone is worse of an album than Reload, but "Sit Down" seems to achieve what "Quiet Down" set out to do in a very interesting way. At the end of the day, "Quiet Down" just wasn't for me. 😞 

Moving onto something a little more laid back, we have "7 Days" to look at next. To me, this is where the album really starts dabbling in a more retro concept and vibe - upon listening to this for the first time, I was immediately slapped across the face with late 90s/early 2000s R&B vibes. Strong ones, at that! I think that's mostly thanks to the snappy production, with some very smooth hi-hats and snares, and plenty of well-placed hand claps for emphasis. If I had to compare it to a non-K-pop artist, it's very reminiscent of Ella Mai's stuff - if you've ever heard "Boo'd Up" or "Trip", this will sound instantly familiar.

It's a lovely break from the breakneck pace of this album so far, too. Not every song has to be in your face for me to like it, and "7 Days" is a great example of that! This is a super relaxing song, with a surprisingly catchy melody and some lovely performances from the members - Chenle's vocals in particular have been really standing out to me on this album, and that's definitely the case here too. The members sound great singing in unison as well, which gives the choruses a lovely sense of swell. And yet, at the same time, it never comes across as childish or immature. It continues the maturity NCT Dream have had in their recent concepts, while giving them a chance to do something a little more laid back and chill. 

"7 Days" isn't a song that I have a lot to say about, mainly because it's so self-explanatory. This is the kind of song that you can vibe to at 2am and just... enjoy it. (Definitely not speaking from my own experience on that, I promise.) It's considerably more laid back than what we've had on Reload so far, but it's a welcome detour that fleshes out Dream's current concept, all while keeping the energy up, which I'm a very big fan of!

So, "7 Days" definitely tapped into a retro concept a bit more, focusing on late 90s/early 2000s R&B. But what if we went back a little more than that? Maybe, oh, I don't know... 

New jack swing?! 

Guys. This is it. This is the highlight of this album for me. I've talked about my dance background quite a bit on this blog, so I'll keep this brief, but you know what kind of routines I love the most? The ones full of energy, vigour and bounce. It's why house was one of my favourite styles to play around with... but new jack swing was a close second. From the get-go, "Love Again" is full of what makes new jack swing so addicting to me - the glittery, resplendent synths, the tambourines that flood the percussion line, the syncopated bass rhythms... All of it is incredible, with some very apt trap touches here and there to keep it more modern. The pre-choruses strip away most of the percussion to focus on the gorgeous instrumental, which makes those choruses hit THAT much harder. The minute that echoey, seraphim-esque synth was introduced in the background, I'm pretty sure I ascended to a new plane of existence. The added vocal adlibs and flow of the raps are just the icing on top.

BUT GUYS. IT GETS BETTER.

The post-choruses... Oh my god. The touches of triangle and cowbell, the remixed vocals, the record scratches... THIS IS IT. This is my heaven. I was home alone when listening to this album for the first time, when "Love Again" popped up, I was literally screaming. Very loudly. I had to pause the song, process what I was listening to, and just... collect myself before continuing. It went in all the directions I hoped it would. Literally every single one. Everything this song needed to do to hit effectively, it does it. It goes there. And I don't think there'll be many other songs this year that can blow me away like this one did.

LISTEN TO "LOVE AGAIN" IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. PLEASE. It's one of my favourite b-sides from a K-Pop act this year. Period.

Often, I'm not a fan of ballads on albums like Reload. When the rest of the album is as high-octane and fun as this one, ballads can often feel shoehorned in, and quite out of place. But every now and again, a ballad will do something unique or different that makes it stand out to me - for example, a lot of recent ballads have been playing around with 3/4 time, which gives a much more romantic feel, in my eyes. It arguably makes it a lot more interesting, and sets it apart from just your typical piano ballad. 

I'd argue "Puzzle Piece" is another of those unique ballads, but for its own reasons. The instrumental is probably the biggest standout here - or, rather, the lack of instrumental! It's just some acoustic guitar, from start to finish. Sure, the focus of a ballad is normally the vocals, but this song's instrumental really doubles down on that. It feels like the audio equivalent of giving yourself breathing room, and it's very refreshing given the energy found on the album so far. The members sound very down-to-earth and chill as well, which is perfect given the song's more intimate, sentimental nature. Sure, the comedown may be a bit harsh considering how high-energy "Love Again" was, but I feel like "Puzzle Piece" eases you into its sound quite well.

In my eyes, "Puzzle Piece" is an example of a well-placed ballad that rounds out the album very well. It's entirely possible for albums to fall flat at the end because they have a ballad or slow song that feels forced, but thankfully that isn't the case with Reload. Here, the ballad is just a really relaxed, breathy song that serves as a nice conclusion to this mini album.

And jeez, what a mini album it was. Sure, I'm not the biggest fan of everything here, but even if I don't have that much to say about some of the songs here, that doesn't mean I don't like them! Every song here has varying levels of potential, and various different things I like about it - but what I can say for sure is that it absolutely took me by surprise. I had little to no expectations going into Reload, for the most part, and NCT Dream really blew me away here. Considering this is their last comeback as six members, I may just have to keep a closer eye on them going forward, because in my opinion, this is the best comeback an NCT unit has had this year so far. Give this album a listen if you haven't already, because you're definitely missing out - it's one of the best comebacks 2020 has had to offer, in my eyes!

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