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Woow one of our favorite NCT sub units are finally back. My only other pick is definitely WAYV but NCT Dream are a close second. I feel like this comeback has been teased for ages but also not at all at the same time. SM moves in weird ways lately but that didn’t make me less excited for this comeback of the Dreamies. I did think that the title song had a bit of a weird title but I was sure they’d make it catchy and fun. Let me not ramble on I am writing this before I even ate something so let’s review. Smoothie is definitely on the more edgy and darker side of the NCT spectrum. NCT Dream usually take a more upbeat approach but they have their darker moments as well but Smoothie also delivers some amazing vocal moments. I could do without the whispered “smoothie” part, I don’t know the word is one you can feel like moist and it kind of makes me feel weird hearing it said like that. But I guess Smoothie also gets smoothed out by the word as it never sounds harsh and can’t really be yelled. I’d say Smoothie is a bit of a gimmicky fun song overall, it has its catchy and vocal heavy moments that make up a lot for the weird parts. Overall, a solid song and I can definitely see it growing on me. Same as Una will say BOX is definitely my stand out song for this album, that chorus is just too good. It feels so mystic and almost haunting. I also really liked Carat Cake and Breathing though, both of these are beautiful and really feel like NCT Dream. This was really a solid and much needed comeback by the group. NCT Dream have started out as one of my favourite NCT sub-units but we have somewhat had a small connection issue and I feel like their previous comeback ISTJ was the first song in a bit that I’ve really loved on the first listen and connected with immediately from the group. Maybe it’s because ISTJ is such a melodic and old-school sounding k-pop song (which is a sound that NCT Dream suits so well) but it’s still a solid addition to my playlist. I was interested to see what Smoothie would sound like although it seems like the song is promising some vocal moments paired with some void elements… let’s see and review! Smoothie’s verses are pretty melodic and enjoyable, and the same goes for that vocal-led pre-chorus. This, however, also makes that empty repetitive chorus a bit more jarring than it might have been if the verses didn’t have great vocal moments. I’m not sure what to think of the song on the first listen but it’s definitely a mixture of a lot of things – melodic verse moments, old-school sounding rap sections which surprised me and then that main hook which I’m not quite sure about currently. Smoothie has some very enjoyable moments but I’m afraid that chorus is going to wear off soon for me – it’s a 50/50 chance – I’m either gonna love it and it gets stuck in my head or I’m going to want to turn it off when I hear it. Time will show. The music video is very pleasing and I’m loving the darker colours as well as everyone’s styling this era. The album is great, though, and filled so many great hidden gems showcasing the amazing vocalists above everything else. The whole album is much more laid-back and emotional than I’d expect from the title track and I’m loving it right now. I share a favourite b-side with Haechan because BOX is surely my pick to highlight from this album. It’s giving those 2013 k-pop vibes and I’m so, so here for it. Everyone sounds so good in it and I love the dramatic, melodic chorus of the song. Another one I really enjoy is Breathing so I’d recommend checking the album out for sure, whether you like Smoothie or not. NCT Dream does not miss with their albums! |