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.
LikeLiked by 1 person
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
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely the highlight is Dream After Dream but the production of most of the album is compelling and electro goodness 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! The album is so cohesive and each individual song is solid-to-great! Still not sure which stand out as favorites since they’re all good, but I definitely agree Dream After Dream is an immediate highlight
LikeLike
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.
LikeLiked by 1 person
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.
LikeLike
It reminded me too much of can’t stop the feeling lol, I couldn’t finish it
LikeLike
it’s very High School Musical to me, which is one of my favorite film series so I enjoy it. I wish the verses were different but they’re not bad enough to ruin the listening experience. and that outro should’ve been extended, it sounded so abrupt.
first thoughts on the album: I haven’t really processed it yet, but overall it’s good. my highlights are Dream After Dream, Pressure & Smile for U.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Okay, this is such a sweet callback to their debut sound and feels incredibly fun! I love the movement of the strings during the pre-chorus, and the chorus follows up with wonderful vocal layering that brings those strings right back into focus. There are no jarring beat shifts or unnecessary trap breakdowns here—just a clear, confident direction paired with lovely vocals from the Dream boys. I’m not a huge fan of the abrupt ending, but I definitely enjoy this more than their last couple of singles, even if it doesn’t quite reach the classic heights of “My First and Last.”
What a joy and a blessing it is to see them revisit a sound that brought so many smiles early in their journey!
8.5 (8, 9, 8, 9)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I loved reading your review and agreeing with absolutely everything you wrote.
It is a very NCTDream song and I love it for that, but it is definitely too youthful for a “mature” group like them, and that makes it weird?, but in a good way. It’s like half of my brain is rejecting it but then the other half cannot help to love it. Honestly, seeing them do this the makes me so happy. They pull it off with personality and vocals…maybe my bias is showing!!!
The album is solid…I immensely enjoyed The Sun, and I think Dream After Dream, SkyDive and Smile for U are very good.
LikeLike
Upscale bright themed boy band song. It’s like Chewing Gum, but 4 years later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Album 1st impression: strong intro (The Sun), solid mid-journey, and a strong finish (This is Your World). A worthwhile project for a veteran group.
Hidden Gems: Dream After Dream, Watch U Watch Me
Its a fun upbeat dance song suitable for a youth party, however I am not sure which inner child that I should channel into as the song felt somewhat juvenile in atmosphere. The song has the right groove and bombastic chorus, but its cringe factors were somewhat overwhelming at first so it might need more listen to blunt the ears so to speak.. You would not expect a 10-years-old group to release this tune. VIVA fo youth!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Where the hell’s the ending? I had to go check the audio version to make sure it wasn’t some whack creative MV choice. An old fashioned song like this needs closure! This needs a 30-40 second finale à la Dynamite! Even a 2 minute, sleek, super hip, arguably monotonous song like KNIFE has an ending they let you sit with for 15 seconds…
It’s a good song besides, not as lame as I feared it would be. If it had an ending I’d have liked it better than RIIZE – Fly Up, another recent SM song with a similar “radio fodder” spirit, but for now best I can do is 7.25
The rest of the album sounds great on first listen, really looking forward to spending quality time with it.
LikeLike
TheBiasList’s dislike of Justin Timberlake continues with this review.
This song is alright. It sounds a bit manufactured and the ending is a bit too abrupt. I would have probably given this song a higher rating if there was a resounding ending to this song. Probably a 7.75(7,8,8,8).
LikeLike
I’m cranky, but I feel like if you are invoking boogie woogie, there should be a decent groove. (Same goes for that Cravity song.) There are some great moments but not enough for me to hit the dance floor.
LikeLike
So unmemorable.
LikeLike
First impression: The title is scaring me away, but I will come into one of my favorite boy bands with open ears, even if I have been feeling disconnected from them lately.
First impression after 1st listen: Okay, I am both relieved and bummed out at the same time. On one hand, the song is just too much fun, it’s funky and super groovy. It is also very NCT Dream brand and they’re throwing it back to their debut years. On the other hand, this lands way closer to BTS’ Butter and the Minions soundtrack than the Jackson 5, and I would like the second option better.
I’m not sure whether I like it the way it is or some of the choices make it super corny… Maybe both at the same time? Regardless, kudos to them for coming back and celebrate their 10th year, despite one of their central members leaving. This is probably the beginning of them becoming a “legacy” group with sub-units and/or sporadic releases.
LikeLike
As much as it’s sad to admit it, I think you’re right about them becoming a legacy group. The Korean members will all be hitting the military soon, probably starting next year I would imagine. I’m guessing JNJM will do some more promotions and any combo of Jisung, Chenle, and Renjun seems possible. Even if we don’t get another full group comeback for a few years, I can’t complain about these stellar and consistent last few years for them. The fact they released a full length album every year from 2021-2026 is unheard of nowadays
LikeLike
the members are max 26, they still have at least 3 years together to promote as a full group before enlistment. as for the song, i actually liked it. it’s cute and fun and i didn’t find it cringe or like they’re too ‘old’ for this which?? makes no sense?? i liked this much better than their last titles like chiller and beat it up. the album is fantastic too. this is a really great comeback and god i’m so happy to not hear mark’s affected english accent everywhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
idk why but a lot of these songs you describe as sounding like “can’t stop the feeling” tend to sound way better and have a bit more edge than that song, though thats probably because there is no disco song worse than it
cant stop the feeling has to be one of the worst songs to hit the radio within this past decade, not only is it an artistic low for justin timberlake, that song has terrorized my middle and high school years with its calculated peppy, completely sanded off its edges insipid sound, the fact it was a tie in to that equally awful trolls movie makes it even worse, its the musical equivalent to sugar-free ice cream stuffed with aspartame and it shouldve never ever terrorized our ears in the first place
LikeLiked by 1 person
actually scratch that, its the musical equivalent to sugar free gummy bears, you know the ones that gave you explosive diarrhea when you ate an entire bag of them
LikeLiked by 1 person