Thus far, I picture DreamNote as a fizzy/fun girl group, characterized by this 2019 standout. But, 2020’s Wish and 2021’s Ghost started to reinvent their sound. And now, pre-release track Blue makes a case for the strength of their vocals.
As a song, Blue isn’t anything out of the ordinary. But as a performance, it piques my interest. There’s a nostalgic directness to its delivery and it doesn’t skimp on the vocal climaxes that make emotive ballads of this style so fun to sing along with. As always, I wish for stronger melody, but the heft of Blue’s arrangement makes up for some of those shortcomings. The bridge and final chorus are particularly nice. I love that guitar.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I liked this a lot, very reminiscent of early 2000’s jpop. I got https://youtu.be/NoMpGbE_qK0 vibes.
However I really wished they stuck with more clear vocals instead of some parts that felt pretty layered or autotuned? Especially given how heartfelt the song was
LikeLike
This is the exact kind of a ballad I tend to enjoy listening to. Instead of being a drippy, faceless piece of nothing, there’s at least some sense of dynamic in the song. 8.25/10 for me, I guess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re not a group we get to hear from them often but I’m glad that ever single they’ve released is stuff I would (and do listen to). I was really worried when this first started because I thought it was going to be a snoozefest but it’s a pleasant and beautiful track. Not groundbreaking but it definitely has its uses
LikeLiked by 2 people
I totally forgot they existed, I feel so bad… that says something about the frequency with which they release new music-
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been singing ghost all day now that they’ve come up. I think they pulled that sound off really well, I wouldn’t have minded if they went back to that. Im really curious about what this title track is gonna be
LikeLike
I think they do a good job. We don’t hear this kind of ballad from a group these days, the full on belt it kind of song. I would love to hear a live live version, if anyone finds one, please share.
As with others above, I also wish the person behind the buttons didn’t tweak all the buttons so much – listen for example at 2:45. I am sure this young woman has a very nice natural high soprano timbre. But it gets twisted to sound more like Taeyeon “I” or IU “Good Day” with a loud flat and fat note. Flat as in without much vibrato, just hit the note dead on and hold on by any means possible for a measure or two. (Some might call it brassy, but I think of brassy as Patti Lupone. Maybe “clarinety”?)
LikeLiked by 1 person