After pre-releasing album opener The Sun last month, NCT Dream are embarking on their first project since founding member Mark Lee left to go solo. And with title track Boogie Woogie, they’ve returned to their bright, upbeat roots. I’d like to think there’s no age limit on fun bubblegum pop music, but it does become more challenging to peddle the sound when you’re no longer the fresh-faced newbies of the industry. Boogie Woogie does an admirable job thanks to the members’ well-honed skills.
On one hand, this is a cheesy, on-the-nose piece of radio fodder a la Permission To Dance or… I can barely even utter the words… Can’t Stop The Feeling. However, there’s enough distinctly K-pop pizzazz to keep Boogie Woogie from fading into generic obscurity. The effusive chorus simultaneously invites with its bombastic hook and repels with its cringe lyrics. I guess that’s what you’d call a “guilty pleasure,” and only time will tell which extreme wins out.
I’m more charmed by the moments that surround Boogie Woogie‘s centerpiece. The post chorus has a nice sense of lift that feels less forced, while the song’s short rap verses ride the groove rather than seek to reinvent it. I’m not sure something this slight is suitable for the group’s tenth (!) anniversary, but it’s hard to dislike a song that explodes like a glitter bomb at every turn. Enjoying it may take some lowering of your guard, but eventually the music wins out.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
This kinda reminds me of Cravity’s Boogie Woogie lol like it easily would be a part of their New Wave album, and that’s a compliment! It’s pretty infectious that never threatens to become “annoying”, I see this might age well down the line.
Rating’s the same for now.
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I’m surprised by the ranking! This is peak Dream to me. This feels like My First and Last or Chewing Gum for a mature 10 year old Dream. I love the funkiness throughout, and the chorus plus post-chorus are fantastic. The way the song develops unexpectedly in the third half is such a treat as well. Probably an automatic 9 for me with room to grow! So excited to jump into the album
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I liked it. Very fun. My rating’s the same. From the album, after The Sun, my favorite song would be Dream After Dream (Skydive, This Is Your World & Pressure were also good). Overall, a solid album.
Also, I was a little late to the TWS release. I thought the songs were very good. Heavy slightly edged out Call My Name for me.
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This hits the same pleasant notes that the songs you reference hit, but feels limp in the same way they are too. I can’t help but compare this to Cravity’s Boogie Woogie, which I like a lot more as it leans into the commercial sound these songs tend to have with an almost sinister and deranged tinge.
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