Dreamcatcher’s Apocalypse Has Arrived, And They Are Here To Save Us
K-Pop — Dreamcatcher Recall
The K-Pop industry sees Dreamcatcher release its 2nd Full album, releasing a huge batch of content to celebrate the group’s first new tracks in nine months.
The Apocalypse is finally here, and Dreamcatcher fans have never been happier for the end of the world to arrive. After a longer-then-usual break from releases, Dreamcatcher is back with their 2nd Full Album, “Apocalypse: Save Us”, filled with both group and solo content for every type of Dreamcatcher fan.
As expected, comeback week was full of news, performances, appearances, and other such Dreamcatcher content. If you’re curious about my thoughts regarding “Apocalypse: Save Us”, you can check out my full Apocalypse: Save Us album review once you’re done reading up here. For now, let’s get right into summarizing everything that happened during Dreamcatcher’s first week of promotions.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80T96LtXkEw[/embed]
The last bit of the pre-comeback schedule dropped on Monday, with the Dance Preview posted up on Dreamcatcher’s official YouTube channel. Once again I couldn’t help but notice how little fans got in terms of teasers. Twelve seconds went by in a flash watching this, and while there were a wide range of impressions (from concerns about the CGI looking just a little bit too obviously fake to intrigue about the complex choreography), there wasn’t enough to come to any definitive conclusions. Dreamcatcher and Dreamcatcher Company were still playing their cards close to their chests, though we did get confirmation that backup dancers were going to be a part of these performances.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4t9LLq1Nk0[/embed]
Fans didn’t have to wait long to see exactly what Dreamcatcher was holding, however, as the album released on the 12th, with all fourteen tracks available for listening. The “MAISON” MV, to me, was well worth the wait and all of the higher-than-normal secrecy with just how much of Dreamcatcher you could feel from the song’s progression and, of course, visuals. Again, you can find all of my detailed impressions in the aforementioned album review, but suffice it to say, it and all of the other tracks on the album provided a giant addition to Dreamcatcher’s already-expansive and long discography.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw18Hqlbmyw[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgNnDDbcreE[/embed]
Of course, for Dreamcatcher, the day started much sooner than the album release. Holding an in-person press showcase for the first time in quite some time, the group performed both “MAISON” and ballad “Always”, allowing fans to get a bit of a sneak preview of what the choreography and performance stages might look like for a comeback.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73fNobWdgxY[/embed]
From there, Dreamcatcher and MyMusicTaste held their advertised and ticketed mini-concert for fans. Being both an offline and online event, this was the first time that Dreamcatcher had seen an audience exclusively of their own fans for a stage performance in two years. Combine that with the fact that this was the first time the group would see the official lightsticks and robes and it was, for a couple of the members, a bit of an emotional moment. I can’t imagine what it must have been like being unable to perform for your “home” group of fans for two years, but to their credit, Dreamcatcher put their emotional tears of happiness in check and continued onward.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2JTo2XV6uY[/embed]
The mini-concert was well worth the price of admission, because not only did fans get the same performances as the press showcase, but they also got seven distinct solo stages for each member, complete with full choreography and some fun in-between skits where Dreamcatcher made their own music show-like interview segments with each member before they went on the stage. This was great because it allowed each member to shine on their own with their songs, and it highlighted just how much work it has taken to get this far. To not only have to practice for promotions for the title track but also put together a show with seven different stages, especially with two members getting COVID, is nothing short of Herculean and it was great that the results showed the group was up to the task. We also got a peek into something interesting from the group — confirmation that they were working with Wonderwall, a Korean-based site that taps artists and groups to make paid classes and documentary-like Art Labs to show how an album comes together. It looks like we may see a similarly paid offering from Dreamcatcher in the future, and I’m definitely interested in that, considering the album was one of Dreamcatcher’s most varied yet).
[embed]https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1514118566886645761[/embed]
The day afterwards started off with more huge news — there was now a new Dreamcatcher official store, and new merchandise, including a mood light whose top could be screwed onto the existing Dreamcatcher lightstick, and a metal badge set were among some of the new items, along with some of the items previously sold out such as the robe, lightstick, photocard binders, and more. Some fans have reported that a few payment methods are not supported and that some others were not processing properly, so some bugs appear to still need to be worked out, but this news is likely a boon to fans wanting both new merch and who may have missed out on the chance for older Dreamcatcher swag.
Personally I am happy to see more opportunities for merchandise (especially for items that can be used with the lightstick to make new and different models) and I do hope that once they’ve sorted out the payment issues that Dreamcatcher will have a better time with this store’s ability to support customers as opposed to the at-times overwhelmed xOfficial platform.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSMn67TYpOQ[/embed]
Lucky Draws for photocard sets through Soundwave and KTown4u working with Dreamcatcher to set up an actual Pop-Up store event in Seoul also added to potential physical merchandise revenue for the group. The return of such events (with all safety precautions in place) is sure to have a net positive on revenue for the group — and it’s a nice bonus to have another place for the members to go to to take pictures and meet a few fans.
[embed]https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1514410459025539073[/embed]
More controversially in the sales space, Dreamcatcher Company confirmed they are working with partner ENTC to produce an NFT collection of Dreamcatcher assets that can be purchased, sold, and traded using cryptocurrency, to be released on the 20th of April (by the way, if you’re not clear on what NFTs are, this guide from the Verge on NFTs should help).
This set off a firestorm of speculation about the why’s and how’s and in some cases, concern over the project, as articles have been written that talk about the current environmental impact of NFTs, especially on the popular Ethereum blockchain/Opensea Marketplace, where ENTC says they’re using to mint the assets in question. The oddity of engaging in a project such as this while at the same time releasing an album with a title track message of caring for the planet and environment has been pointed out by some concerned Dreamcatcher fans, though others have been quick to point out the K-Pop industry in general isn’t very friendly to the environment with its physical footprint of albums and encouragement of mass consumption — though efforts appear to be moving to be more eco-friendly.
I have my own concerns with NFTs, working in a space (games) where they have been poorly conceived and implemented, but to be fair, NFTs for games are not necessarily how NFTs work for music, where there is opportunity for more environmentally-friendly use. I plan on playing a wait-and-see game to see how this partnership proceeds before coming to conclusions. If I’ve linked a ton of resources in these three short paragraphs, it’s on purpose, because my advice to concerned Dreamcatcher fans is to not go off of just Twitter hot takes, but check out the links I’ve posted, do a ton of research (especially on the debate about NFT impact and efforts to implement environment-friendly NFTs), and be well-informed before formulating an opinion and/or using the fancafe to communicate your thoughts to Dreamcatcher Company.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_drba8plJWc[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6QbcqA9o3I[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF0B-tEn3yQ[/embed]
Moving on to variety appearances, Dreamcatcher certainly hit the ground running during comeback week, heading to places both new and old. SuA, for example, managed to grab JiU, Yoohyeon, and Dami to accompany her to her usual SBS Wendy’s Young Street appearance, allowing Wendy to meet even more Dreamcatcher members (only Handong and Gahyeon left now) and have fun talking about the album and what it took to record it. Weekly Idol has now become a staple for Dreamcatcher appearances every comeback, and this newest one, even though it was missing Yoohyeon for the most part due to COVID-19 quarantine, was still hilarious and entertaining. The group performed “MAISON” as well as covered iconic and sultry Girl’s Day track “Something”, and had plenty of fun with the hosts, the highlight of which was a Korean letters/charades hybrid where you had to act out a word based on the letters provided. Not surprisingly for Dreamcatcher, this ended with at least one member on the floor laughing and others shocked at what was done, so it’s probably best for you to watch the video (there are a few Weekly Idol fansubbers out there that will include the subtitles for full context) rather than me spoiling it for you.
[embed]https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1514140583106789378[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibpgMZJ_bGc[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lmot5YBsEY[/embed]
But there were new appearances as well. The group went on Korean-only app platform Naver Vibe to talk about elements of the album, sing songs from the title track in both serious and funny ways, and reveal a couple insights, such as how there really isn’t a bleeped swearing part in “Locked Inside A Door” — that’s SuA just saying “ah, how annoying”, and bleeping the last word for effect on the album.
Dreamcatcher (sans Yoohyeon due to quarantine) also appeared on MelOn Station’s “Ssap Possible” with MCs Woong and Jun from boy groups AB6IX and Golden Child, respectively, where the hosts seemed to be having just as much fun raising the bar for being asloud and chaotic as Dreamcatcher was. But it wasn’t all just about screaming about favorite anime growing up — Dreamcatcher got to perform a fun medley of their historical songs, answer questions about how they pull off their unique concept, and show off their unique merchandise, including the infinitely-extendible lightstick. I really enjoyed this appearance — not just for the energy of the hosts, but for the length and breadth of content Dreamcatcher got to display — always good for potential fans to see.
NME also had Dreamcatcher on to talk about “Firsts” — first artist they loved, first tattoos, first K-Pop merch, and more. This appearance was fun not just to hear about first-time things from Dreamcatcher, but also because of the fact that they all used English for part of their answers, showing off their multi-lingual versatility. Of course, even in their non-native language, the Dreamcatcher chaotic energy shows through, even as they are appreciating and roasting each other in equal measure. Definitely worth checking out.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vccqAJwryjY[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd5XyqJ54mQ[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPhfbijHtMM[/embed]
Of course, what comeback week would be complete without live stages? Even though Show! Music Core was cancelled due to a memorial event, Dreamcatcher managed to slot in two performances on M! Countdown and Music Bank, both of which continued the trend of powerful live performances. We’ll be having a full week of them this week, with Inkigayo already in the books and SBS MTV The Show and Show Champion to start off a new cycle, so be sure to keep an eye out and check out both channels for individual fancams of the members and 4K resolution media of every “MAISON” performance, including yet another creative and fun Relay Dance from the group.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIJm3CH1ncE[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6-VcZKts8g[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt76sxMkSyo[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7iqbPwvt8A[/embed][embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwxWbxd4YSo[/embed]
Finally, the Dreamcatcher official YouTube channel did its part, pumping out a ton of content for album release week, with two different fanchant guides (one for shouting and one for clapping for COVID-19 restricted spaces), two jacket making videos with both insightful moments (like the members explaining what it was like to film with green screens and about their solos) and the usual Dreamcatcher comedy (Handong trolling Yoohyeon into bad selfies she tried to show to the camera being one of many fun bits), and a full camera Dance Practice video so that the complex choreography could be on full display. We also got the beginning of the “MAISON” challenge so fans may be on the lookout for fun collaborations with other K-Pop artists to do the chorus’s unforgettable dance motions, much of which can be seen in offline/online fansign events that also made their return this past week.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uieV4QDJ2p4[/embed]
We’re not even close to done as far as what the Dreamcatcher can put out, so we’re in for far more content from the group as they settle into another great comeback period for their latest album, which appears to be doing fairly well:
[embed]https://twitter.com/koreansales_twt/status/1515503195384344581[/embed]
Dreamcatcher’s sales on Hanteo appear to total over 76,000 currently, exceeding their marker from Summer Holiday after the same number of days according to /u/nat1withadv on Reddit by a decent amount. This looks pretty good for the group’s potential growth and another new milestone in 100,000 albums sold on Hanteo in a single comeback. We’ll see how this number changes moving forward, but it seems that Dreamcatcher’s new album will pick up quite a few new fans.
Here’s some other news tidbits from comeback week worth mentioning to close things out from this jam-packed Dreamcatcher album release:
- Dreamcatcher will be appearing on Idol Radio on April 18th.
- Dreamcatcher ended up on Amazon Music’s K-Girls Playlist
- Dreamcatcher was featured on TIDAL’s Certified: Hot & New in K-Pop Playlist
- Dreamcatcher’s interview with Stacy Nam of iHeartRadio is coming soon
- Voting for both The Show and Show Champion is open for Dreamcatcher — if you’re so inclined be sure to vote and keep streaming the Music Video!
We’re in comeback territory now, and you can be sure I’ll be here to cover and summarize all the happenings from “Apocalypse: Save Us” promotions from K-Pop’s resident rock/pop girl group! Be sure to clap, subscribe, and signal boost the content if you like what you’re reading, and I’ll see you here next week!
