Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Dreamcatcher have made their comeback with “You And I“, and though the teasers revealed enough of the instrumental and chorus that it would be hard for them to mess up, it’s always nice to have confirmation and they provided exactly that with the eventual release.
While it’s clear from the start that “You And I” was going to be dramatic, it’s somewhat of an atypical beginning for Dreamcatcher in its quietness, which is fine since the piano and what not set the atmosphere. The drama then definitely builds in the pre-chorus (which may be my favorite part) through with the addition of orchestral strings, booming tribal drums, and a haunting chanting vocal, all of which is outstanding but also makes it a prerequisite to have a payoff at some point. Fortunately, it does get cashed in by one hell of a chorus that further incorporates the drums and allows the hard rock guitar riffs to shine, building a satisfying apex for everything that comes before it.
The vocals are perhaps among their best, with no wasted motion throughout and with enough punch to keep up with the pacing and intensity of the song. It’s an almost menacing performance to setup the atmosphere and concept, and they manage to pull it off before exploding into something more pop rock. Of particular note to me is Dami‘s rap being weaved in about as effectively as possible into this type of sound. While the chorus itself is less of a hook song than something fully fleshed out, it at least had a standout moment of the “baby, you and I” refrain that creates a choral moment. Additionally, the bridge is well done where it circles from the chorus back to equal volume before dropping out momentarily to give it a moment of calm, only to launch into an epic constant assault of a finish.
In the lead-up to this comeback, I was admittedly dreading a reality that they ‘wasted’ an outstanding song in “Full Moon” as a non-promoted anniversary affair, but “You And I” lived up to expectations and put those concerns to rest. Unfortunately, Dreamcatcher are hinting that this will be the end of this era and they’re going to try different genres and sounds. It’s understandable because despite the rousing musical success, the commercial aspect of it hasn’t been as well received. Still, the future could be a rather disappointing depending on the direction they go, but if this ends up being the final song they release of this kind, then at least they’ll have gone out on a high note.
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