NCT Dream's 'We Boom' album review: More like a K-pop nightmare

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The third mini-album from NCT subunit NCT Dream is by far their worst to date

Chris Gillett |
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We Boom is the third mini-album from NCT sub-unit NCT Dream, and it is by far their worst to date.

The opening trio of tracks Boom, Stronger and 119 are bare, with each mix dominated by group chant singalongs which don’t gel with the often muddy and repetitive synth-bass lines and minimal R’n’B beats.

Then we have the second half, where NCT Dream are very different from their previous tracks.

Bye My First introduces some slinky guitar playing to create an almost bluesy, K-pop hybrid with smooth falsetto tones to boot, quickly seguing to an easy-going radio-friendly funk pop chorus, vying for that mass appeal pop single.

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Best Friend is similarly upbeat with its synth-pop shimmer and glitchy beats, but it’s let down by the near-constant clashing of vocals, before Dream Run returns to the funk pop aesthetic. It even contains some impressive piano flourishes in the pre-chorus, alongside the snappy refrain, “Gimme gimme gimme baby/Shout like a heartbeat/All right, all night”. It’s catchier, but not amazing.

With this release, the NCT Dream project has ended up becoming more of a nightmare.

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