Album Review: Dreamcatcher's Apocalypse: Save Us
Now that I’ve had several days to process this release, I’m finally ready to talk about Dreamcatcher’s second full album: Apocalypse: Save Us. This comeback’s theme is focused on the Earth dying and trying to save it, but the general theme of the album is a bit more relaxed. We get the usual array of Dreamcatcher b-sides, but a new and welcome switch-up is solos from every member. Not only are there solos, but each member worked on them in some capacity in the writing and producing and it overall gave a different vibe to the album as it’s less about being cohesive and more about showcasing their personal musical tastes. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I had some reservations with the main title when I first heard the preview, but it was resolved once it finally came out, and loved that we got to see such variety within the solos in music tastes. Dreamcatcher is also starting to trend towards a city pop sound in a lot of their songs, and I welcome it with open arms. All-in-all the album is fantastic and I really enjoyed it.
01. Intro: Save Us
Dreamcatcher’s musical intros and outros always work so great with the overall theme of the album and give a fun introduction to the album itself. This one is no different with just enough creepiness to remind us that we are still listening to a Dreamcatcher album, even if a bit lighter and away from their horror elements. Little things, like adding the abrupt changing of the sound of the cassette changing, is fun and gives it a great theatrical vibe. I know not everyone loves them, and they are largely skipped, but I like to make time for them.
I feel like ‘Locked Inside a Door’ is the counterpart to the last album’s ‘Black Or White’. It’s fun with a great staccato beat which adds a bit to the overall feel of the song. Out of all the types of music they play within their b-sides, this is what fits all of their voices equally and really focuses on what they are capable of vocally. It’s a hard task to do with music, especially with a group that has clear vocal ranges, and this song lands exactly where they are all comfortable. This song allows for someone like Siyeon to be able to bring background variants with her vocal runs while others that aren’t used as much in vocal lines, like Handong’s bridge that moves into SuA’s part, bring a good union of their voices. Dreamcatcher also tends to be a good theatrical group, and it really shines when there’s a song they all can interpret vocally and have fun and get into.
03. Maison (Main Title)
My first thoughts still apply, even after the many (many) replays of this song: I had a lot of fun with it. I was worried after hearing the previews, but that quickly diminished when I pushed play. The constant rock line that stays throughout most of the song from the first note, JiU and Siyeon’s second bridge backed by a messy/crunchy piano line all combine to create this cyber-punk-without-punk vibe. It’s got video game qualities and fits the theme even without the lyrics.
Dami is a fantastic rapper, her vocal quality works so well with what she’s been able to do and while other comebacks have had some great rap sections (‘Boca’, I’m looking at you), I’ve always felt that her sections tend to get prematurely cut and feel a little awkward as a result. Not here, as this was the best rap part we’ve gotten on the main title from her. The switch to focusing Gahyeon on the higher “La Maison” part was a good direction. While I do think she still is working on her higher register and head voice (you can hear this more in the live versions of the song, as she struggles a bit), she has a way of making it haunting and not overpowering during the recording and gives a nice tone change and overall different vibe to that section that would be a bit lost without it. Combine all that with an earworm of a chorus that I’m constantly playing in my head, what’s really not to love?
04. Starlight
I really love DC’s turn into 80’s synth/city-pop. We saw this in the last mini-album Summer Holiday, and I welcome the continuation into DC’s city-pop/retro era. Out of all the groups that have been trying to get into city-pop I think DC is the underdog that is poised to take that spot. The genre fits all of their various vocal timbres extremely well in ways that you don’t expect and is a great contrast to their heavy rock-based main titles. A lot of the girls already have a higher whistle tone that is perfect for this type of music, but Dami’s parts in this song are exceptional, with her deeper contrasting richness that just melts with everything and then Handong follows matching her tone to create the perfect section. I love songs that make me feel like a specific time or place, and this song makes me feel like I’m on my roller skates just freely circling the rink without a care in the world, and even at the end the song just disappears into the air, the equivalent of a perfect fade to black. Out of all the group b-sides on this album, ‘Starlight’ takes it for me. Every time I listen to it I love it more.
05. Together
‘Together’ is a really great follow-up to ‘Starlight’. It doesn’t lean as heavily into the retro-pop as much as it - a more airy cousin - but still carries it and they both work together as a duo. I do find that where it’s lacking is that it’s a bit too repetitive and am not attached to the chorus, finding it ‘meh’ comparatively. But my absolute favorite part is Siyeon’s during the bridge. She toes the line of going into her chest voice out of the light and airy head voice but never does. I can’t begin to describe how amazing that control is. I could just repeat those 10ish seconds multiple times and not get sick of it.
06. Always
There always has to be one ballad on a DC album. I don’t have much pull to this one. It’s simple, sweet, and fine, but it doesn’t grab me like their other ballads. While I don’t think Dreamcatcher does ballads poorly in terms of technique, I do find them a bit boring on a whole (and I’m a ballad person). Maybe it’s because I find that their more theatrical or raw/upbeat emotional songs pull me in more or they all kind of stay in the same space and begin to be a bit too repetitive? Overall it’s not my favorite in terms of the overall album, but not bad in any real respect.
I’m a theatre person. I like the split of “acts” as we transition out of the group songs into the solo songs. It’s a fun blend of the first several songs and a hint at what we’re about to get with the solos.
08. Cherry (JiU’s Solo)
JiU’s voice is just perfection with city-pop, and am so glad that she picked this route in her solo. Her soprano voice and the way she lives in that head voice perfectly go with the wistfulness of the genre and the way she’s able to throw the notes out at the end of phrases just adds such a great addition to the background beat and adds a fun layer. ‘Cherry’ is the perfect summer song with an incredibly addictive upbeat chorus and verses that make you want to just bop your head. We got a taste of city pop JiU in ‘Starlight’ and this is the explosion of it.
09. No Dot (SuA’s Solo)
Out of all the songs, this is the one during the preview that I picked up on the most. It’s the darkest and grittiest of the solos, but perfectly SuA. It’s sexy with a great beat. I love that we get more of her rapping - which was her position in the beginning and has since been pulled out - a nice thing to hear again. SuA has a good adaptable voice and this song is a good reflection of that as she kind of plays around with a lot of musical elements, from the grungy rock to pop to a slew of other genres and it creates a messy but balanced song.
10. Entrancing (Siyeon’s Solo)
Did Siyeon give me a Final Fantasy song? Did she? I can’t get over it. It’s light and mystical and fantastical and I’m in love. Dare I say this is my favorite song off of the album? A beautiful sweeping feel combined with her higher head voice and you have the perfect combination. I feel like I need to say more if I’m declaring this as my favorite song off of the album, but I don’t know how to describe my love of it. This is a song you’d hear coming from Yoko Kanno. I don’t know what I was expecting from her, but it wasn’t this and I’m so glad to be surprised.
11. Winter (Handong’s Solo)
Handong has one of my favorite voices in the group and I was really excited for this song just so I can have a full song of her singing. Sadly, the song didn’t grab me like I thought it would. Handong’s voice is great in it, and it’s light and sweet, it’s just a bit lacking. While the song on a whole misses me a bit in its grasp, the last sections are where she truly shines in the song as she starts to wrap it up. When she transitions out of singing in Korean to Chinese - in a capella - it makes the song and is such a beautiful touch and blending of who she is.
12. For (Yoohyeon’s Solo)
I wasn’t expecting this song from Yoohyeon, I was expecting her to go a bit more pop-centered (a la Taylor Swift) knowing her love of the genre, and I kind of love that she went this direction. What other kpop album out right now has a song like this? It’s light, playful, and fun with great 50’s swing and a touch of musical theatre. I love when Yoohyeon swings up into the higher notes. It’s so pretty and light and wonderful.
13. Beauty Full (Dami’s Solo)
Who would have thought Dami would hit us with the 2000s pop-punk hit? The song is just fun. It makes you want to just jump around and dance. I just love it. I love how upbeat it is, I love that out of all the girls Dami was the one to stick closer to a rock sound but did something completely different than DC on a whole would do. I love that it’s something completely unpredictable.
14. Playground (Gahyeon’s Solo)
I was waiting for someone in the group to go the IU route and should have known that Gahyeon would rise up to the challenge. In contrast, this song is youthful and fun on the other end of the spectrum than Dami’s. Fitting for the maknae to have a song that not only is titled ‘Playground’ but feels like one. The song, more than anything else, fits her voice and we get a tone that she doesn’t normally get to play with during other DC tracks, at least not one that stands out. Gahyeon’s voice has gotten better over the years and this solo is a testament to that. Is it one of my favorite songs off the album? No, but that’s ok. You can hear how much fun she’s having with it and it adds to the song.
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