NCT Dream’s new album is right around the corner and they’re promoting it with double title tracks. We’ll have to wait to hear Chiller on Monday alongside the album release, but the guys have pre-released opening track BTTF today. The song blends the old with the new, much like the retro-futurism of the music video.
I have such a difficult time with NCT releases. There are many songs I feel like I would absolutely love without all the shouting. I don’t automatically dislike shouting in pop music, but something about NCT’s distinct, blustery blend is often like nails on a chalkboard to my ears and makes the music very hard to parse. BTTF is chock-full of shout-chanting, yet its strengths may be enough to overcome that aural assault. There are times when the song is genuinely thrilling, though these make up a frustratingly small percent of the overall equation. I’m in love with the sung chorus, which recalls the vaunted SMP style of music SM Entertainment build their name on. The towering vocal blend during this segment is something only K-pop does and every time I hear it I’m reminded why I was first drawn into this musical world.
Unfortunately, these moments make up about fifteen seconds of a three minute song. Much more time is allotted to the guys shouting “ya ya whoa!” and “ta ta ta!” at us full blast (along with screeching whistles?). I would have preferred a more balanced mix of these elements, but that’s where BTTF‘s bombastic synthwave production comes in to carry the day. The instrumental is cinematic and exciting and tempers some of the overly aggressive rapping. A mid-song band breakdown is especially enticing. I can imagine how epic the song would be with melodies as consistently engaging as the energy of the production, but that rarely occurs these days so I guess we have to take the scraps we’re given and submit to all the barking and hollering to get to the good stuff.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
For me, the main problem is that other than a lose tie in to the Back to the Future, it has no point for existing other than to release another one. Also, its not fun. I mean, Hot Sauce Skippy Dip Day was fun, bonkers at time, but fun.
Unscored for me. Pass.
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this sounds like a lesser, uninspired version of NCT 127’s Punch, honestly. Literally didn’t take anything away from this song apart from a lot of yelling about god only knows what.
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This had the recipe of being a 9.5+ song. We the song we got, the rating is the same. Those few moments are genuinely thrilling. How are you going to refrende the pop highlight that was Chewing Gum without giving more attention to melodies??? 😭 It’s like if Rollin’ and ISTJ had a baby that was a little undercooked.
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I’m gagged by the rating ngl I thought it’d be in the 7s 😭 the chorus is really good but the verses are gonna take some time getting used to. it’s like ISTJ (another KENZIE song) but with not-better writing in the verses. she also wrote the 2nd title track CHILLER, and from what I’ve read both songs are connected so I hope that one is the better song. if not, then at least the album will be good yet again 😮💨
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“barking and hollering” is the perfect phrasing………. why is sm so afraid of melody when it comes to nct
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Those first few seconds of music before the shouting are so transportive. WHERE is that song?
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I like it a lot! Very Kpop, very SM, very NCT and the Dreamies did a great job inserting their style and making it their own. Granted, it is as loud/noisy/shouty as I can handle but I think with a few more listens I’ll get over it and appreciate the song as a whole. In this sense it reminds me of ACE’s Piñata 🤷🏻♀️…for now an 8.25
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I usually like shouting, but chanting often rubs me the wrong way. Not sure how I feel about it here. It seems like they tried to cram too much into one song. I like the fun energy overall, but it’s so scattered that it doesn’t seem to pay off like it should.
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What I want from NCT is weirdness and this totally fits that bill. I cant rate it just yet because their songs take a while for me to totally get.
All I’m saying is that this is the kind of aural assault I’m in kpop for. There was a serious lack of it last year (so INZM had to suffice for everything) so I’m happy nct have once again stepped up this year. Yay
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The song’s good. I’m curious to hear about Chiller on Monday, becuase I’m hoping it’s more than just slog.
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The instrumental is good. Unfortunately there wasn’t much of a song to grasp. I don’t mind chanting but this is plain lazy songwriting. A few solid melodies could’ve taken this to another level but it’s too undercooked to accomplish anything. Glitch Mode or even ISTJ are better attempts at what this is going for but I really do see the vision. It’s interesting enough to revisit but a missed opportunity for something greater.
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it’s fragmented but that dirty synth line is truly sick in a good way. Just grungy and 80s industrial feeling. Think it’s going to grow on me the way ISTJ did.
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Well, I listened to that.
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Definitely reminiscent of “Punch”, as another commenter pointed out, but not as solid. The opening shouting “We gon we gon we gon turn the time time time…” was good, but I agree that the song was too shouty overall. The post chorus and midpoint slowdown were captivating though, wow. A decent entry for NCT Dream’s discography. At least it’s not “Smoothie”.
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