Dreamcatcher “Alone in the City” Review

Kpop girl group Dreamcatcher released Alone In The City, their third mini-album, Sept. 20.

The title song “What” was the music video released on the same date and is, currently, the only music video to be released for this comeback. The music video went along with the darker tone of the song as the members were seen trying to navigate through crime scenes, storms, and rooms full of blood. Like most kpop music videos, half of the video was focused on the group choreography that, of course, was in perfect sync with the music and the members were in sync with each other. The outfits that each member wore stood out more than the outfits typically do in kpop music video. It seemed like very high-end fashion with outrageous pieces and combinations, yet the patterns somehow worked together and made the outfits as a whole look very fashionable.

“What” is a heavy rock-influenced song that makes a major contrast between the heavy rock sounds and the lighter, higher pitched vocals of the members. This type of sound is unique in the kpop scene as only a few groups showcase this type of sound. Day6, a lesser known band, bases all their music on the genre but more so in the lighter area, and B.A.P., a more popular group that has been rumored to be disbanding, has majority of their songs follow the darker side of the rock genre. Kpop girl groups hardly ever have a rock base to their music which makes Dreamcatcher an interesting group to keep track of whether you like rock or not.

The first song of the album, “Intro”, is strictly an instrumental piece that sounds straight out of movie as it has all the main parts to a film score. The builds and cresendros hit at all the right places, and the song perfectly layers an orchestra with electric guitars and techno elements that make gives off an “epic” type of vibe. After “What”, “Wonderland” slows down the album as it goes into a slower tempo and more into the EDM style. Then, “Trap” goes back into the rock genre with calmer verses where the rock is very subtle in the background to almost heavy metal chorus that are mixed with techno. “July 7th” follows “Wonderland” as the tempo and vibe of the song tones down the album as a whole. The song incorporates elements from the reggae genre especially with the beat and the flow. The last track on the mini-album is an instrumental version of “What”.

Dreamcatcher came back with a nicely balanced mini-album, and it’s clear that the girls experimented with different genres, producing an album that reaches to many types of audiences.