Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Perhaps a sign of their gradual ascent in Korea following their rise internationally, Dreamcatcher members Siyeon and Dami appeared on the Dark Hole OST with “Shadow“. It’s a chance for them to showcase their ability to a different audience, and they managed to do so while also separating themselves from the cottage industry of dreary OST ballads.
While I’m not one for plodding, overwrought ballads, I do love myself a good rock ballad or anything with a bit of an edge. “Shadow” is definitely not an effort with a ton of tempo, but there’s a lot going on with the production to keep one interested even in the somber moments, with the acoustic squiggles and booming drums complimenting their voices well and also building tension for the release to come. And it thankfully does come with a vocal explosion accented by electric guitars that’s surprisingly impactful.
Speaking of surprises, Dami as a choice to compliment Siyeon was one, as she’s primarily known as a rapper and Dreamcatcher have other quality vocalists on the roster. However, she does nicely here, providing a contrast to Siyeon that works well, especially during the chorus to add a different tone.
Hilariously, the duo did release another version of “Shadow”, which does fit into the ballad mode. It serves the purpose of appealing to those who like the more traditional style better, but despite Siyeon’s best efforts, it just comes off vastly inferior to me.
Overall, I was quite pleasantly surprised with “Shadow”. Initially just happy that Dreamcatcher members were getting exposure and recognition enough to get an OST, I expected a standard drama ballad. However, they managed to inject life into things and come out the other side with a something more memorable.
