CURRENT #32: DREAMCATCHER - BOCA

Released: August 17th, 2020

Looks like tropical house is here to stay and for good! After what has seemed like a long hiatus of the genre since KARD's red moon and partially from Nature's Girls, Dreamcatcher has finally returned with Boca. Appropriate to the genre's sound of origin, the title name itself is spanish for "Mouth" which is quite interesting given that their last comeback was titled "Scream", is there something else going on here? Dreamcatcher continues to visit known genres and put their own twists to them. Mixing EDM + rock in their last comeback is quite unheard of, but Dreamcatcher really goes into uncharted territory this time, giving fans a listening of Moonbahton and rock fused together, which I can bet many of us have never heard before ever in our lives. The result is a strange combo that somehow works, although it does suffer from the same pitfalls that pinched on tropical house.

As heard from the teaser, the chorus remains as mostly vocal-less, which shouldn't really be a surprise, as the song's description was given long before the teasers were uploaded. I will also continue to see these kind of choruses as repetitive and unimaginative, unless a completely different kind of rhythm and superb addicting bass patterns are used. In Boca's case, this is the only part with the authentic rock sound, so it doesn't go completely off the radar. The chord progression is quite nice and the guitar riffs carries forward the song's energy, and that's probably the best you can get out of a chorus like that. The verses for the most part are chiseled quite nicely. A trap rhythm in the beginning quickly transitions into Moonbahton but with extra emphasis in the bass, when attitude and grit consumes the entire song. Dami's rap is just something else, and juxtaposes very nicely with the more soothing intro. I wish this momentum also carried forward into the pre-chorus, as Sua's part felt a little too quiet for me to give the part the aggressiveness that most pre-choruses are known for. Yoohyeon's part does make up for it, but the transition to her part did feel rushed.

The second verse immediately gets things going with another rap part, although there is some autotune, and the bass is replaced with horns, which is a bit of a turn-off. The pre-chorus however has extra guitar harmonies added on top of it, which I really love. My favorite part of the song though has definitely got to be the bridge. Once you listen to it, you suddenly forget what genre Boca is and can't help but appreciate how beautifully the bridge connects back to the final chorus. The vocals, the use of bells, and the explosion of guitars briefly shows how Dreamcatcher is on a whole other league, and the harmonies in the final chorus is truly the cherry on top of that delicious icing. It's almost on par with that of Fly High, and it definitely makes it worth listening to all the other parts.

Boca can be best described as a song that tries to pave its own identity while borrowing mainstream concepts and prevails at the end. Yes it still suffers from transitioning rhythm issues and the sputtering of momentum in some parts, but it does find itself in the end when all of the elements are meshed together, and ultimately when Dreamcatcher's talent is wisely used.

RATING: 7.3/10