THROWBACK #2: DREAMCATCHER- CHASE ME

Released: January 13th, 2017

Why Dreamcatcher? Lately I've been keeping up with their variety shows and I got to say, I love their personalities and the ubiquitous fan services they provide throughout social media. Before that though, I've grown fond of their unique music for a very long time, and I thought right now would be a good time to re-visit what made them so captivating to follow in the first place; their debut track.

Right off the bat, a solemn piano riff plays, and prevails throughout the entire song. It's a beautiful melody that sets the tone and and I love the long pause at the end of the intro to evoke that brief moment of solicitude. The distorted beats in the first verse allow the song to slowly build-up to what has not been heard in K-Pop in a long time; chord progressions of screaming guitars and banging drums, creating and releasing all that tension in the chorus. It's full of relentless energy and I love the alternating between the main vocals and the falsettos (it's like there are almost no pauses between the singing) to keep the chorus at full strength. I just only wished the post-chorus was played longer, which could have eased the transition to the second verse, instead of having loud percussion go to brief silence instantly. I really like the variation of the piano loop in the second verse and throughout the rap, which blends really well. Even more deserving of praise is the bridge, where the drums and guitar start to fade, and we hear some ridiculously high note that defines the song's climax, making all of the waiting worth it.

If there's anything I have to say about the vocals, I do feel as if the "chase me" chants in the middle of the verses sound a bit overused. But other than that, the vocals both excel in the chorus and in the bridge, where that final high note is the icing on top of the cake. This is the perfect song for Dreamcatcher to introduce themselves and show how far they've come since their MINX days. The rock genre is not often heard in Korean Pop, but Dreamcatcher's identity and confidence oozes all over the track. The song is truly one of my favorite tracks of 2017 and I can't wait for Dreamcatcher to introduces themselves and flip the K-Pop world upside down.

RATING: 7.6/10