On September 18, six months after the release of their 5th mini album “The End of Nightmare“, Dreamcatcher came back with “Deja Vu“. This was a collaboration with the mobile game “King’s Raid,” as a part of their 6th mini album “Raid of Dream“. This album includes 5 songs: their “Intro,” title track “Deja Vu,” “The Curse of the Spider,” “Silent Night,” and “Polaris“. This album is by far my favorite album of this year, and if you haven’t listened to it yet, I definitely recommend it!
The “Intro” to this mini album is focused heavily on the beat, having no vocals throughout the whole piece. The track starts with a soothing piano and guitar combo, slowly building up to the unique beat drop. It leads to a strong electric guitar chord with a rhythmic melody. I enjoyed the contrast between the soft piano at the very beginning compared to the chorus and the ending. As someone who has played piano for over nine years, the melodic opening was nice to hear. Compared to Dreamcatcher‘s other intros to their mini albums, this one stands out with the beat being unique. This track is definitely in my top 3 intros from them!
Rating: 8.5/10
Now on to Dreamcatcher‘s long-anticipated title track “Deja Vu (데자부)“. Ever since their debut song, “Chase Me“, Dreamcatcher has been known for its songs sounding similar to Japanese pop, rock, or anime opening themes, but this time it was a bit different. This title track started with a more sorrowful melody with a minimalist sound to it, consisting of just a soft piano and a slow beat. This was a big change from their usual hard-hitting beginnings that many would affiliate with the “rock” style Dreamcatcher usually follows. This caused the song to sound quite grand, reminding me of a movie soundtrack with its amazingly simple but chilling vibe. The lyrics of this section also have this vibe, talking about a path that left only hurtful marks, a path that grows painful every day, endless in front of their eyes. This conveys their feelings of an endless path, full of repeating tragedies. This message is also carried through the music video. After this emotional start comes my favorite section of this whole track, the pre-chorus. At the start of the pre-chorus, the beat is removed entirely, leaving you with an isolated piano. It was breathtaking, almost giving you goosebumps. When Handong sings the line “holding this pain,” she brings up the intonation into a melancholy tone, giving a chilling sense to this whole section.
After the pre-chorus builds up, the chorus begins. The usual rock style of Dreamcatcher’s title tracks is now present and this also enhances the feeling of the marvelous atmosphere the song built up with the contrast between the chorus and the rest of the song. Siyeon‘s vocals also helped make this chorus more memorable, with her exploding voice and high notes. Personally, I believe this chorus, while still amazing, is not as catchy as some of their previous title tracks. Other songs such as “Chase Me” have more repeatable lyrics that you could sing over and over and still not tire of.
One of the most surprising parts of this track was Dami‘s vocals. As Dreamcatcher‘s main rapper, it’s quite unusual to hear her sing, but in this song, she had a section where her vocals were showed off. Her deep voice really makes the song feel much calmer after the chorus and helps transition it to the pre-chorus once again. The pre-chorus and the chorus repeat until the song reaches the bridge, a spectacular build up with Sua’s voice so soft and alluring it could put you to sleep. The final section includes the chorus once again, but this time with a much louder beat and a beautiful pitch change that really showcases them falling deeper and deeper into their Deja Vu.
Rating: 9.5/10
Next, we have Dreamcatcher‘s dark, rock-themed song, “The Curse of the Spider(거미의 저주)“. This song is what one might expect of a Dreamcatcher song, with strong bass and a lot of electric guitars. This track is one I was anticipating, and it definitely did not disappoint. The lyrics to “The Curse of the Spider“‘s chorus were all so catchy, ones I could see myself singing to. Everything about this song made it really memorable. In this b-side, Dami went back to rapping, but even though I was excited to hear it, it felt a bit off. Her rap didn’t blend with the rest of the track as well as some of their other tracks. All in all, “The Curse of the Spider” is a song that really shows off Dreamcatcher‘s unique style and I enjoyed it.
Rating: 9/10
Dreamcatcher’s fourth b-side in this mini album was “Silent Night“. After hearing this dynamic song in their highlight melody teaser, I knew it would be my favorite in the whole album. This track is heavily based on electric guitar with an amazing keyboard. It had a bit of a slow pace at first, but then this fantastic b-side surprised all of us with its fast-paced keyboard chorus. All of their voices blended so well, creating a masterpiece of a song. Sadly, once again I feel Dami‘s rap didn’t blend as well with the rest of the song, but this small setback did not stop me from loving the entire piece. The end of the song was also a surprise, suddenly switching into a completely different beat, which I found was unnecessary and made the song slightly worse. Luckily the uniqueness of the chorus made up for it and it became my favorite in the album.
Rating: 9.5/10
The last song in this mini was a ballad, “Polaris“. As someone who typically doesn’t enjoy this style of songs, Dreamcatcher’s ballads are really the exception for me. I was truly surprised at how much I enjoyed “Polaris“, and it’s a song I now listen to when trying to fall asleep. The piano in this track was so calming, and with their soft voices, it was an amazing combination. The lyrics are so heartfelt, and they’re some of the best lines in the whole mini. Sadly, the beat, the melody and everything else in this ballad were quite generic and not that memorable.
Rating: 7.5/10
Overall, this album was a really unique one compared to the others Dreamcatcher has released. All of the tracks on this mini sounded amazing, they’re definitely worth looping a lot! The only thing I would say they could improve on is how they used Dami‘s rap. In “Deja Vu“, Dami‘s singing contributed to the song in a beautiful way. In the other b-sides on the other hand, her rap sadly didn’t blend as well, making it feel a bit off. The lyrics in this album were also amazing, perfectly conveying doubt, confusion, and reversal. If you have time, you should definitely check out “Raid of Dream“.
Artistic Creativity: 9/10
Vocal Quality: 10/10
Music: 8.8/10
9.2/10
