Dreamcatcher Looks Toward Lighter August With Fansigns And New Merchandise

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July was a whirlwind for Dreamcatcher in 2024, with a long-awaited comeback and compressed promotion schedule for their 10th Mini Album leading into an encore concert at a packed house in Taiwan. And while the secondary appearances were perhaps a bit less than what fans might have expected, the group has been no less busy with everything they had going on, especially given that they continue to prepare for a travel-heavy latter part of the year that will take them to Latin America, Europe, and the US.

Given that, it's no surprise that Dreamcatcher's August looks on its face to be a bit easier on the schedule for the group, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to talk about. Let's take a look at how the group's month kicked off this past week!

The official YouTube channel continues to release behind-the-scenes content as expected, and last week we got a brief look into Dreamcatcher SuA's work with KBO baseball team Kiwoom Heroes, once again throwing out the first pitch for the game. It's always nice to see these brief looks as well as how SuA changed up how to throw the pitch this time around (just a bit higher), though it would have been interesting to see her throw sidearm like she originally had intended. Between this and being able to interact with fans (and of course seeing the Heroes get a comeback victory), I'm sure SuA was happy.

Yoohyeon had promised to drop in on Weverse for a livestream in Taiwan, but given that she'd been tired, she waited until this past week to check in with fans. Though the live was brief, we heard about her favorite part of the day, got a chance to listen to a couple of brief songs she likes, and more. There were, of course, a couple funny Yoohyeon moments including her killing a mosquito and messing around with camera angles, and overall it was nice of Yoohyeon to follow through to talk to everyone for a bit.

The group's schedule in August at the moment is filled with twelve or so fansigns, sessions to meet with fans who win attendance through random lottery that increases chances with more purchases - a staple in the K-Pop industry. The format of offline fansigns comes in the form of photo time where members get to pose for pictures with various props and costumes, a relay-like meet & greet for attendees with each member, and song performances. Video call fansigns, obviously containing only the meet & greet part of the event, are conducted online as well.

While August's slew of fansigns may seem a bit aggressive schedule-wise at first glance, the time investment is far less than an all-day music show rehearsal appearance or variety scheduling, so the workload should hopefully be a bit lighter. There's a few fancams of the offline fansigns if you know where to look, and media such as Dreamcatcher performing B-side "2 Rings" this past week are among some of the fun moments from such events.

Even with this fansign-laden, lighter schedule, we may also have a chance of seeing more content from the comeback, as we did this past week when Indonesian channel detikcom released a brief Q&A and interview with Dreamcatcher. The group talked about the concept for their latest album, about favorite and preferred superhero powers (Dami's answer is particularly funny) and overall seemed to enjoy answering fan questions.

I think it's nice that we see that Dreamcatcher has been willing to drop in on YouTube channels outside of those based in South Korea (last comeback's reappearance on hello82, for example, is a great example). It's recognition that the group has a significant global fanbase as well as the importance of outreach to different cultures and peoples.

I was just talking about fansigns, and one thing to note is that they're sometimes also held for non-album items as well, and after last year's Photobook and Merchandise Dreamlantis and Dreamquest, Dreamcatcher seemed due for a sequel. This time around the concepts are dueling ones, with "Fallen Angels" and "Dream of Angels" being chosen for Photobook and Merchandise respectively. As with last time, there were brief Concept Films that were released for each set, with a pre-order date of August 4th and release date of September 25th attached.

While the group looked great as always in the concept films, and in particular there was excitement about a Fallen Angels theme that suits the group's darker concepts, fans noticed and seemed to discuss the perception that these were a bit less complex than last year's concept films, like for Dreamlantis, which involved more eye-catching sets and a bit more action. There has been some discourse about why this was the case, but I personally have stayed away from conclusions such as wondering if the company has lower cashflow and thus lower budget to afford better production quality. This is because we simply have less visibility on the ins and outs of K-Pop company operations and context.

There's a fair assessment to be made that the high standard set by the group's concept presentation means there's a bar fans see to be met with media like this, but at the same time while perception matters, the context does as well. A fan participating in recent fansigns apparently heard from Gahyun that these trailers were shot quickly due to scheduling, so it's a good reminder that there may be more at play behind the final product than we know, and to keep criticisms constructive and reasonable.

Some of these final products come out on delays, as they did with Dreamcatcher's magazine shoot for the August 2024 issue of The Star. From the preview pictures as well as what's been posted online, the photoshoot had a much brighter concept than we're used to from Dreamcatcher, with pastel colors and fun smiles from the members. It's worth noting that we're due to see some Dreamcatcher variety content as well from The Star's YouTube channel, so I'll be interested to see what fun activities the group was up to.

Dreamcatcher's due for more work in August with plenty of generated content to come, so as they move towards the end of summer, there's a lot to look forward to. As always I'll be here to report and summarize the latest from the group, so for all that, and more, I'll see you here next Sunday!

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