[Review] Dreamcatcher - Scream

Impulse reviews are not usually my thing but it provides nice contrast with the weeks in review for "So What" coming out later I didn't even know they were coming back, but Dreamcatcher has joined the crazy February rush with a new title track "Scream." "Deja Vu" is still lukewarm for me, and while "Piri" was good it couldn't hold up to their earlier greats. Maybe with a title like "Scream." we'd see some more intense Dreamcatcher that may bring us Halloween early.

Okay I like that this song gets right to things (despite the very brief cringey EXO-esque opening), diving right into the heavy instrumentals we know and love from Dreamcatcher. The drums and strings are adamantly marching throughout and drive the audio forward. The crisp vocals out of all the members continues to meet their high standards. SuA and Siyeon lead the charge while the others hold up their end of the bargain.

The chorus is where "Scream" starts to stumble. We have another 2019 style chorus with the instrumentals taking front and center. Meanwhile the supporting audio is bizarre with one-liners and actual screaming sounds. I've said my piece about these types of "empty choruses" before so I'll save my energy. We're treated to a moderate dosage of English throughout, ranging from alright to questionable. Granted, most lines include "scream" so that lessens the damage in a way but still. The best way would be to avoid as much as English as possible but I suppose based on the lyrics it couldn't be helped this time around.

Personally, I'd like it if Dreamcatcher went back to their traditional rapper setup. Gahyeon had a nice little moment with her rapping debut in "Piri" but she is lacking in personality here. Bring back the deep voice of SuA. That'd be one helluva compliment to what Dami has become. Speaking of Dami, she got that bad bitch energy holy shit. I mean the rap itself wasn't anything spectacular (that goes for Gahyeon too) but her voice and power are incredible. In fact she reminds me a lot of classic Yubin here. And that is always praise worth receiving.

There isn't much else to say. I think I like this more than "Piri" and definitely more than "Deja Vu," but the oddities of English lines and mediocre rapping leave a sad hole in my Dreamcatcher fan spirit. The vocals and bridge are as consistent as ever but at that standard, they need solid contributions elsewhere to make a song really stand out. I didn't talk much about the Handong absence but I highly doubt she would've impacted the song significantly.