Though Dreamcatcher have experimented with various genres, their core rock sound has remained intact across the past seven years. Overall quality may ebb and flow depending on the track, but you pretty much know what you’re in for when you press play on a new single. Justice leverages many of their greatest strengths, offering a blast of anthemic energy that feels like an anime battle forged into musical form.
I was immediately struck by Justice‘s stomping percussion. This particular rhythm isn’t something I associate with the group and sets the song apart in a good way. A “We Will Rock You” comparison is probably too obvious, but I instinctively wanted to clap along like an idiot the moment the instrumental kicked in. This production is especially effective during the standout pre-chorus, which harnesses the song’s strongest melody alongside crunchy guitar.
Justice‘s rising tension comes to a head during its cathartic chorus. Melodically, this segment is very simple, leaving the guitar to do the more complex work. I love how the song bursts open here, but I’m not as won over by the stuttering vocal effect. It’s strange hearing a power note chopped into pieces and doesn’t quite work for this particular song. This approach lessens as Justice goes on and I’m confident repeat listens will smooth it over. Apart from that slight concern, this feels like Dreamcatcher’s most exciting comeback in awhile. It succeeds by honoring their musical past while keeping one eye on the future.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
it’s a cool song. 8.75/10 for me
(also not on topic but will you review the new psychic Fever and wolf howl harmony song? I thought it was a nice synthpop sound)
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I might! I liked it too.
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this was such a callback to my childhood music. I was confused but at the same time I unintentionally had a wide open smile the entire time. This isn’t an immediate “omg best song ever”. But I definitely feel the draw of easy repeat listens that will smooth this into something I can get pumped about.
8.5/10 initial reaction, can easily see this grow to a 9-9.25/10 just because I haven’t heard something like in a long time
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I thought the stuttering vocals was like what made the song so original. I honestly really like the effect.
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When I heard the sound , I immediately thought of a reverb effect. This is my favorite song
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It worked for me too. I love how the synth mirrors it as well. The girls did a live performance for 1theK (definitely worth a watch, especially since Siyeon was there for that recording).
(https://youtu.be/mmDSxJxyxTw?si=nsBJ9gRE8SpkWxcg)
It lets you hear what it would sound like without the stuttering effect, and to me it definitely feels like something is lacking without it.
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I think the stuttering in the chorus actually elevated its intensity and added a nice little surprise element. If it werent there, I imagine those long notes would sound beautiful and rich, but perhaps a little flat on top of such a dynamic instrumental.
That being said, I am extremely impressed with this release. OOTD certainly took time to grow on me, and I was a little worried about this release, but this feels like a true culmination of all their previous sounds and it’s done so well.
I am typically quite critical of songs, but this is a 9.5/10 for me!
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Rock on, Dreamcatcher!
When I hear the high notes in the chorus with all the pulsing underneath, to me it harkens back to TVXQ “Rising Sun” type sound, where the percussion doesn’t ever really stop.
If I had to quibble, it is about the theme. Fighting for justice and kpop are two completely different things. OK, yes, I know that somehow the SNSD “New World” song is now a commonly used protest song, but usually when kpop artists make any political statement at all, they are immediately shunned.
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It might be a risk for them, especially since they have gained a bit more recognition in Korea recently. But if there is a group that can make a song about fighting for justice seem thematically authentic, it’s Dreamcatcher. They are one of the few groups to actually *openly* support the LGBTQ+ community and support the feminist/gender equality movement in Korea, a definite risk for an idol group. I’d normally qualify that with the fact that having a mostly international fandom gives them more room for freedom of expression without the scrutiny of the Korean public like most popular idols, but surprisingly they’ve stuck to it (and more surprisingly, their company allowed it), since the beginning of their career as Dreamcatcher. Even attending their first very first concert in Korea way back in 2019, I believe? One of the members wore a pin for supporting the trans community… Yoohyeon, if I recall correctly. Since the company also allows them to have final say in their wardrobe choices and they’ve since backed it up verbally, I don’t think it was an oversight either.
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MY ALL TIME FAVES KILLED IT AGAIN!!!
My rabid fangirling aside, I feel like this is definitely a return to their older sound. And honestly, I love that. All of their vocals are phenomenal. I was not prepared for Handong’s voice as soon as the rap ended. Siyeon (the main vocal and the one hitting those high notes) is on hiatus, and seeing the other members hit the notes live is amazing, too! Good live vocals are kind of a rarity nowadays. Hopefully we’ll get to hear Dreamcatcher’s when they get a win at a music show in the near future! Kiss Of Life got one recently, so I’m hoping Dreamcatcher and G-IDLE can also get them too. I’d love to see my three favorite groups get a win for the summer.
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That stuttering effect is one of those things that seem to be there to be more “interesting” than a normal high note (and I agree) but I’m not sure it’s landing too much on me. Other than that, solid 8/10 for my rocking girls!!!! (I didn’t even know they were about to comebacked XP)
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Hah, I woke up at 4:45 am just to listen to this as soon as it dropped.
Initially I was quite… whelmed. I still wish they’d go back to releasing songs that are 3:30+ long, if they really need to release something short and sweet it better be as fast as “Good Night” otherwise I just end up feeling shortchanged. But this song is stickier and more durable than I initially gave it credit for. Probably mid-8s for me.
I still don’t think anything on this new mini is a new classic/essential but nothing is outright bad and it’s growing quite a bit on me. “2 Rings” is fun and “Firefly” is on the better side of their ballads.
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Agree on the length. Not going to lie, it did land for me. There’s something nostalgic about it personally from growing up in Japan when these sounds were quite popular. That said, I do feel like the bridge could have been longer and fleshed out a bit more to make the final chorus more impactful…. that and/or something, don’t ask me what though (!!), in the second verse to add a sense of pull that wasn’t present to the same extent as the excellent verse first (probably the highlight of the song for me along with the the go-for-broke chorus).
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I enjoy this song.
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Not my absolute favorite Dreamcatcher title track, but the one that gives me the most goosebumps. On my 7th time hearing this song and every time the chorus high note begins, I feel a wave of goosebumps all over me. Also, usually Dami’s raps continue the momentum, but the one after the first chorus doesn’t seem to be doing much, definitely wish it was stronger.
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The rap section does feel a bit out of place? On its own, the casual off the cuff kind of delivery works well for Dami, but given how much push there is in the chorus, the sense of pull was missing. It seems like the production side knew there needed to be some form of break for the song to not be too overpowering throughout, but it dropped the tension a little too much. It needed something… maybe an extension with some additional rising tension towards the end, to give it the same impact as the first verse.
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Instantly loved the stutter effect on the chorus. Without it, it would be a little repetitive. Their live stages diminishes the effect but the raw vocals from their singing gave it more grit! I would love a recording studio version remix of this song with their unprocessed vocals, that’s how I love Dreamcatcher’s voices!
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