Review

Song Review: NCT Dream – ISTJ

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NCT Dream - ISTJThe MBTI personality test is one of those popular trends that’s totally passed me by, but NCT Dream’s pre-release Broken Melodies has only grown stronger with time. So even though I have no idea what an “ISTJ” is (Google says an ‘Introverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging’ personality), I’m eager to check it out. This song shares most of Broken Melodies‘ songwriting team and adds SM-mainstay Kenzie to the credits. That’s a recipe for success.

After a series of SM disappointments, I’m happy to report ISTJ is indeed successful. It spends way too much time putzing around when it should opt for a more streamlined structure, but the track is anchored by a few undeniable highlights. Like Broken Melodies, the arrangement takes advantage of the guys’ strong vocals. The chorus crests in a moment of exciting harmony, offering a funky climax that should have been expanded on. Prior to this moment, the rhythm speeds for a SHINee-esque hook that delivers welcome intensity.

Though I find the percussion a bit busy, I appreciate how hard it slaps. The ascending loop is off-putting and unnecessary, but the insistent snare adds a driving energy that’s largely missing from K-pop’s recent trend of plonky, skeletal arrangements. I wish the song would have harnessed this more effusively instead of swerving into tempo-changing breakdowns. But overall, ISTJ‘s highlights outweigh its missteps. And with SM Entertainment’s spotty track record of late, that’s a welcome development.

Hooks 9
 Production 8
 Longevity 9
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.5

Grade: B

38 thoughts on “Song Review: NCT Dream – ISTJ”

  1. I kept wondering who is this song for, what is the songs purpose, what is it trying to say, what is the driving moment. It seems to be to exist as a collection of experimental tests of bops and boops. Putzing around.

    I came to the conclusion that it is just too much too quickly, moving faster than the ear and brain can take it in. The song sounds much better at 0.9x, to give some breathing room for each line instead of the constant rat-a-tat sound barrage at 1.0x.

    Says this INTJ overthinking it quietly to myself.
    Flat 8 for me.

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    • Because //of course// I have the same MBTI type as you. Although I learned early on that the test is not very reliable or valid, knowledge that has kind of ruined the trend for me.

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      • Untreated to the song itself, but it’s interesting you think that way! although like any personality test, the MBTI is inconsistent and kind of flawed, I find it a really useful lens and tool that’s kind of difficult to invalidate (as long as you’re honest).

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  2. It’s good but why the heck did they not repeat the post chorus at the end with Haechan belting over it!!!! MISSED OPPORTUNITIES abound … end the overly short song trend now.

    Also I like the verses. The pitch bending percussion is everywhere but it will always make me think of Missy Elliot’s Music Makes You Lose Control.

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    • istj wasnt horrible or amazing. it was just kind of a song.

      the album is the same: its fine, maybe a 6/10. its nothing offensive but the only new song i added was blue wave, and broken melodies outsold. pretzel was almost there. ill probably forget about the album in a few days but my ears arent bleeding from listening to it.

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  3. My first thoughts hearing this was “why was this more shinee-coded than shinee’s last comeback.” Anyways i like it a lot and cant wait to dive into the album.

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  4. I don’t know why but this song reminded me a lot of Golcha’s Replay from last year. They don’t sound much alike, but many of the elements – the choppy chorus, the offkey slowdowns, and just the general energy reminded me of it quite a bit. Though it’s not as good.
    All that to say, I love this. 8.75 from me.

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  6. I dunno. I like noisy Dream but this just didn’t hit me that hard. Everything feels forced. I might learn to like it, but I expect that the b-sides will feel better to me.

    Here’s something that’s OTT and a bit fragmented that hits way harder for me, and actually left a smile on my face. Less self-consciously fancy, but entertaining as hell.

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  8. istj wasnt horrible or amazing. it was just kind of a song.

    the album is the same: its fine, maybe a 6/10. its nothing offensive but the only new song i added was blue wave, and broken melodies outsold. pretzel was almost there. ill probably forget about the album in a few days but my ears arent bleeding from listening to it.

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  9. Best NCT-whatever track since Highway To Heaven, but the Aespa-esque drop in the end is completely out of scope.
    I was a bit curious about the rest of the album, which sounds like any other NCT-whatever stuff indeed.

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  10. a chorus with actual singing hooray!! the percussion creates momentum and interest and is absolutely a highlight too. Only misstep is the bridge, which feels extraneous and also totally undramatic, but everything else works nicely. Solid 8.75.

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  11. The beginning sounds like Missy Elliot’s Lose Control. It gets a boost for that alone. The song is really good and the video is sick. Honestly, it stands out. Lately a lot of songs just sit in the background, play for 3 minutes, and then are immediately out of your brain. This one dares to be noticed.

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  12. I never thought I’d see a kpop song based on MBTI – but I suppose pop psychology and pop music go well together.

    Despite not being a big fan of the MBTI trend (it’s fine as a conversation-starter, but it tends to be taken for a scientific personality assessment, which it is not) I really like the song. Most of it is nice and uptempo, apart from that weird slow part that comes out of nowhere. I really dig the chorus.

    Also, ‘You’re so hot, hot like soup’ gets an honourable mention for my Craptastic Gallery. I love soup, so this line really resonates with me.

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  14. It was interesting. I’m not even mad because they delivered exactly what the song was going to sound like , hybrid hip-pop track . I won’t lie , I liked how full the chorus was , the trend recently was an empty first half of a chorus with just 2 or 3 lines , then they go all out with the post chorus shout – singing but for this one it was a mixture of sing-shouting with actual singing with harmonies, that was a nice touch .I feel like this song is just one of the songs that hit differently although it’s not a song I would listen to . It’s a nice song that I found myself grooving to and it had a Michael Jackson vibe/feel . People say it gives a little bit of 2nd gen vibes and that’s interesting.

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  16. MBTI has passed so much earlier in america. It’s weird seeing korea just hop on this in recent years when my psychology professor literally told us we moved on

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      • I love seeing this, because I followed a personality theory course back in 2017 and learned the same thing 🙂 No personality trait can be binary – personality is far too complex for that. 16 types is also far too few to capture the vast diversity of personality. There are several more “issues” with MBTI, but I won’t go on about ’em here.

        I have followed many more courses since on personality, statistics and test construction (validity, reliability, etc. of tests) and in the light of those it is easy to see why MBTI is not a scientific psychological test.

        I have nothing against the test itself – I think the trend is totally fine for fun and to spark conversation or introspection. The problem is that people believe that the test is scientific.

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        • I love that you brought up the perception of it being scientific. I think a lot of personality tests aren’t that far from zodiac/horoscopes but their presentation and origins make more people have faith in them. Granted I know people who put a lot of stock into astrology but that’s a different conversation TT XD

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  17. I feel it until that beat change strikes me. The vocal processing made Renjun and Haechan sounded much shriller than they are.

    I know that beat changes are kinda hot in K-Pop, but I’m starting to get tired of it due to its novelty factor.

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  18. I like it!! Quite a bit actually. The switch-up at the bridge was unnecessary (though at least it switched to something that was also pleasant to listen to). I could have done with the chorus repeated once more as well – or the post-chorus tagged and bigger as was already mentioned – because it felt like I didn’t have enough time with the original song structure after coming out of the screeching halt in momentum that was the bridge. I am a big, big fan of that chorus.

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  19. I thought the “ISTG” song title stood for “I swear to god” for a hot second. The MBTI is kinda unreliable and was overhyped, I think. I prefer the Enneagram (also not very scientific but certainly more interesting imo).

    As for the song, it’s fun! I love love love the chorus and the switch up funky section. It’s a bit disjointed but I adored the Next Level funky interlude from Aespa, so I think that primed me to like this switch up. Thank you Kenzie!

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  20. I was an ENFP ten years ago when I took the test in COMM-201, and I’m an INFP now. LOL What would pop music be without pseudoscience disguised as pop psych? Growing up during the era of Men are from Mars, women are from venus and Who Moved My Cheese, This track hit the nostalgia button hard as is Dream’s mission statement.

    So far this year, NCT DOJAEJUNG and NCT Dream are the first (Non-U) NCT title tracks/albums that I’ve loved on first listen. The harmonies remind me of TAKE6, they are SO tight. This album takes me back to when I had 98 degrees, Immature/IMX, N’Sync and B2K posters.

    Seriously though, is this a bizarro timeline where EXO and NCT vocally give me what I was looking for with Shinee album and Shinee just yells?

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    • Not really, unfortunately. I love parts of “Skateboard” but the full song doesn’t really connect for me. Sadly. I found the rest of the album (Broken Melodies aside) to be kind of dull.

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