Mainstay K-pop group NCT Dream released their fourth studio album, DREAMSCAPE, on November 11. The septet — consisting of MARK, RENJUN, JENO, HAECHAN, JAEMIN, CHENLE and JISUNG — returns to the music scene after their sixth EP Dream( )scape in March, expanding on their signature concept of blurring the lines between dreams and reality. Through an eleven-track journey, DREAMSCAPE explores the layers of love, navigating a dream world with a versatile mix of genres and sounds. From upbeat electronic pop to introspective R&B and high-energy dance, the album plays with the excitement, complexities, and fears of love, bringing fans along on a captivating listening experience.
Into The Dreamscape
DREAMSCAPE kicks off with “intro: Dreamscape,” which immediately sets the stage for the album’s journey through a dream-like landscape. With its hyper-pop and electronic influence, the track transports listeners back with a dubstep heavy breakdown as the group welcomes us into their “new world.” The production is immersive, capturing the thrill and energy of escaping into the unknown, (which this album builds up lyrically to be the world of love). The song is a fitting curtain-riser, signifying the album’s blend of dream and reality.
Lead single “When I’m With You,” a house-based pop track, follows. It captures the high-energy sugar rush of being with someone special, set to a catchy hook and smooth electronic beats. “When I’m with you / day and night …. / when I’m with you / I’m so blind.” The light and airy production mirrors the exciting feelings of connection that feels both intimate and universal. As the chorus unfolds, it amplifies the feeling of being in a special, surreal moment, one that exists only in the dreamscape NCT Dream has crafted.
The track was produced by members of the top Korean production group 153/Joombas and written by Lewis Janel, Shae Jacobs, IMLAY, Dvwn, with member MARK composing the rap. The music video details the seven members of NCT Dream on a journey in “search of a rainbow they saw in their dreams and features a fantasy story that shifts between reality and imagination via a train.”
Flying Kisses and Forbidden Fruit
Following the sweet tone of “When I’m With You,” DREAMSCAPE moves into bolder territory with “Flying Kiss” and “I Hate Fruits,” two tracks that add a playful and assertive energy to the album. Written by HAECHAN, “Flying Kiss” merges subtle rock and afro-pop influences into the production, creating a distinctive genre-bending song. The track’s lyrics bring vivid imagery to life, from cherry blossom petals floating through the air to a world drenched in pink hues. “Underneath your sparkling blue gaze / from your cherry blossom-like lips / everything is love.”
The song is a breathless declaration of infatuation detailing the dreamy, almost surreal feeling of being enraptured by someone, with every thought revolving around them. “In my mind all day / only thoughts of you, love.” “Flying Kiss” is both daring and heartfelt with a dash of the youthfulness NCT Dream always weaves throughout their music.
In contrast, “I Hate Fruits” offers a bit of a more playful and lighthearted approach. Written by MARK, the track cleverly explores the contradictory feelings of being drawn to someone while trying to resist the attraction — comparing it to disliking fruits, yet finding them irresistibly sweet. Lyrics like “You know I hate fruit / but you smile too sweet… / trying to hate you / but I’ve fallen for you” and “I hate fruit / but I lo-lo-love you so bad,” depict the love-hate dynamic, where the sweetness becomes almost overwhelming. The song’s catchy beat, tongue-in-cheek theme, and quirky lyrics captures Mark’s unique style and humor offering a fresh twist to the album.
No Escaping The Dreamscape
Taking a darker turn, “No Escape” introduces an intense, almost haunting mood to DREAMSCAPE. Through minimalistic production, heavy 808s and distorted vocals, the track conveys a sense of being trapped in a nightmarish reality with no way out. Lyrically, “No Escape” explores themes of entrapment and inescapable fate adding an unexpected, introspective moment to the album. “Anxiety keeps coming for me / oh my god, oh my god / there’s no escape / never stop, never stop / there’s no escape.” The song offers a glimpse into the fears and anxieties that often lurk beneath even the most vibrant dreamscapes.
“Best of Me” taps into a retro dance-pop vibe, with a melody that is both catchy and laced with nostalgia. Written by HAECHAN, the track explores the push-and-pull of resisting temptation in a world that feels almost too good to be true. It showcases a playful contradiction between self-control and the pull of desire, restraint and surrender, but ultimately losing your way. With smooth synths and an infectious rhythm, “Best of Me” feels both playful and unsettling, grounding the album’s dreamy atmosphere in a moment of reflection.
Soft and Sweet
The album subtly shifts with “YOU” and “Heavenly,” both synth-pop and EDM-influenced songs that highlight NCT DREAM’s harmonies and layered vocals.
“YOU” is an experimental track that juxtaposes the structure of any electro-pop banger á la Chali XCX (driving beats and pulsating synths) with an emotional vocal build-up. Showcasing the group’s vocal versatility, JISUNG and MARK depart from rap verses to deliver singing portions that add diversity and novelty to the album. Lyrically, the song taps into making sure you don’t lose yourself in the dreamscape (whatever that could mean to each listener) and believing in yourself.
Tapping into NCT Dream’s sweet-toned side, “Heavenly” delves into the “heavenly” experience of feeling cherished and loved by a special person. The track takes listeners back to the past with a synth-driven chorus reminiscent of popular city-pop songs. Written and composed by Charlie Martin, Joe Housley, Tom Mann, Mike Needle and Cho Yun Kyoung, “Heavenly” serves as the perfect preface for “Night Poem” and “Off The Wall.”
“Off The Wall”
Mixing R&B elements with a catchy synth riff, “Night Poem” dives into the emotional thrill of falling in love with someone as the night unfolds. The song portrays a love story told, as the name suggests, in the form of a poem. Playing with intonation and rhymes, “Night Poem” brings out the best of NCT Dream’s vocal repertoire, albeit in a dulcet and effortless manner.
In “Off The Wall,” NCT Dream embraces the mix of disco, funk and pop sounds that characterized the latter years of the disco furor. In fact, the song is eerily mnemonic of Michael Jackson’s legendary “Off The Wall,” a single (and album) that many consider marked the end of the disco music dominance. Channeling this spirit, NCT Dream’s take on disco is rather contemporary, although the lyrics still tap into the themes of letting loose and celebrating. The septet also resorts to all sorts of musical features and vocal techniques proper of disco music, from four-on-the-floor beats and syncopated baselines to reverberating vocals. Ultimately, “Off The Wall” is an optimistic and upbeat track that showcases NCT Dream’s ability to freely move between genres without breaking a sweat.
Ending On A High Note
DREAMSCAPE wraps up with “Rains in Heaven,” an all-English track released in August, ahead of THE DREAM SHOW 3: DREAM( )SCAPE tour’s first stop in the American continent. The song, described as an ‘80s-style pop single, is a motivational anthem with uplifting lyrics and a reassuring message of love. Co-written by Grammy-nominated songwriter Adrian McKinnon, British singer Bryn Christopher and MARK, “Rains in Heaven” offers solace by acknowledging pain and hardships with a promise of better days ahead. “Tell me that you won’t give up/ Crawl then we walk so we run/ Get off the ground, go up higher and higher now,” NCT Dream sings.
DREAMSCAPE showcases NCT DREAM’s evolution, blending a variety of pop sub-genres that reflect both their sonic maturity and deeper thematic exploration. The album’s mix of upbeat and introspective tracks speaks to the members’ growth, allowing them to tackle complex emotions and experiences that resonate with their own journey into adulthood. With the members contributing to the writing and composition more often, NCT DREAM is increasingly able to bring a personal touch to their music, crafting songs that mirror their age and evolving perspectives. This blend of creative involvement and genre versatility makes DREAMSCAPE a testament to the group’s artistic maturity and perhaps a glimpse into their future.
Keep up with NCT Dream on the Instagram and listen to DREAMSCAPE on Spotify or Apple Music.
Want more new music? Check out the new song from Karol G, J Balvin, Maluma, Feid, and more here!
