Newsletter

Dreamcatcher’s Countdown To Apocalypse Begins With Intriguing Teasers

Frank Sanchez

Apr 3, 2022 — 8 min read

K-Pop — Dreamcatcher Recall

K-Pop’s Dreamcatcher heads down the comeback trail to early April in earnest with individual pictures and an album design heralding a new trilogy.

JiU’s individual teaser photo #01 for upcoming album Apocalypse: Save Now. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

Note: As of this writing, SuA has been released from quarantine from COVID-19 infection, while Yoohyeon was found to have tested positive for COVID-19 on the 29th of March and remains in quarantine per health guidelines. As always, the health and safety of Dreamcatcher is most important and I wish a full recovery to all affected members.

With Dreamcatcher well and truly on the way to a comeback, last week was a week full of exciting reveals and interesting news. Previously to this, only the barest hints of the concept and mood of the album were revealed, but a flurry of comeback info and visuals dropped last week that served to begin whetting the appetite of many hungry Dreamcatcher fans looking for new music from one of their favorite groups. Without further ado, let’s take a look at everything Dreamcatcher that showed up last week from the seven-member K-Pop girl group.

[embed]https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1509470580457713670[/embed]

In non-comeback news, Dreamcatcher’s leader got a chance to work a radio appearance on her own, as she substituted for SuA for her regular appearance on SBS Wendy’s Young Street. The interactions were different between Wendy, JiU, and Taehyun, but the entertainment was still there as the trio discussed the most annoying co-workers — those who act strong against weaker people and weak against strong people at work, those that are selfish, and a person who talks behind someone’s back. We did also hear once again that JiU is reminded of a “racing” feeling at the upcoming album’s title track, and watch her enjoy having Taehyun spin the penalty wheel for himself for losing the poll. All in all, it was nice to see that the show was able to go on, even if it was another Dreamcatcher member in the guest host spot.

[embed]https://www.vlive.tv/video/280574[/embed]

A voice-only vLive with Siyeon, Dami, and Handong didn’t drop much more in the way of spoilers (unless you count the literal first notes/syllables that Siyeon and Handong each let out for their colors) but it did bring out a bunch of fun, as Handong let out just a bit too much information about what she was doing when she presumably accidentally ran into Dami as she was leaving Siyeon’s room and both Dami and Handong each contributed to a bunch of joking around with Siyeon right before everyone went to bed. It’s nice to see these random vLives, especially as the group is no doubt extremely busy preparing for a comeback just over the horizon.

The track list for Dreamcatcher’s upcoming 2nd Full Album “Apocalypse: Save Us”. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

That comeback’s news and visuals dropped with a vengeance this past week, beginning the build to excitement for the new album, starting with the release of the track list for “Apocalypse: Save Us”. Not only would the album be stuffed full of new music in the form of fourteen tracks, half of them would be dedicated to solos, one for each member. This was amazing news to me as someone who has a bit of mild awareness of the career trajectory of many groups. All members of a group, due to a variety of factors, aren’t always guaranteed solo activities or the ability to have a solo on the group’s discography. That Dreamcatcher Company is allowing each member to explore their own individual talent and color in not only singing but having a hand in writing and composing their own solos is a testament to the amount of freedom and care they allow Dreamcatcher’s members. We also got confirmation that the title track would indeed be “Maison”, found by Dreamcatcher fans as a result of decoding the Morse code in the previous week’s Mystery Code and then putting it through a tap/knock cypher.

Details about the individual tracks besides this were scarce, but Ktown4u’s translated item description let out just a few small details — that “Locked Inside A Door” would be punk rock, “Starlight” would be synth-pop, “Together” would be deep house, and “Always” would be a ballad. Combined with still-to-be-revealed details about the title track and all the solos, it looks like fans are in for an even more diverse album than the group’s last full album, “Dystopia: The Tree of Language”. I personally can’t wait to hear it all.

[embed]https://twitter.com/hf_dreamcatcher/status/1508691698347819013[/embed]

Speaking of the albums themselves, pre-orders are now open, and we got to see the album designs be revealed this past Tuesday as a result. New to this set of 4 album versions was a curious change to a more square design for the non-limited versions, along with what seemed to be a bit of apocalyptic-style cracked earth and with a blasted city in the background and what has now been confirmed as the album logo, a stylized Dreamcatcher circle shaped like a globe encircled with bands with the group’s name on them. Reports from press articles such as this March 31st one from Naver about the theme of “Apocalypse: Save Us” point to a story and message about the environment and the consequences of not caring for it the way we should be. Considering that the setting appears to be one of the worst case scenarios of such indifference, it looks like we’re in for another cautionary, yet bold message/plot/theme from the members of Dreamcatcher, and one of the primary reasons I continue to follow them so closely.

Gahyeon stares directly forward as she removes a respirator from her face. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

That theme was presented in the three different sets of individual teaser images fans were treated to this week as part of the “Apocalypse: Save Us” comeback schedule, all of which showed off a distinct mood and feel. The first set, for example, seemed entirely expected, as each member, dressed in high-style, earthy browns, seemed to be out in the apocalypse-like setting of the ruined city shown in part through the visuals we’ve seen so far. Curious were the presence of respirators, which seemed to confirm not only the poor air quality indicators on the Mystery Code but that the plot had something to do with the fact that Earth is not in very good shape on a variety of levels. There was a bit of a “guardian spirit” feel to the styling, reinforced in part due to the practical, yet still elegant dress of the group.

Dami looks out from a shrine in the sky, clad in bright white colors. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

That elegance would be elevated to ethereal levels in the next set of individual teasers, which seemed to have a goddess shrine setting not unlike the shrines to deities in ancient Greek times. A huge contrast to the blasted apocalypse of the Earth below, these seemed to be taken from the sky above, with each Dreamcatcher member seemingly set in styling and a look that displayed them as divine overseers of the planet. Suddenly bright individual teasers aren’t unusual for Dreamcatcher — after all, “Summer Holiday” featured a fairy-like set of them, and “Dystopia: Lose Myself” had them literally on a picnic (with words for decoration), but it’s curious how Dreamcatcher continues to play these contrasts off just to set of a bit of speculation as to what they’re meant to portray in the greater context of their stories.

Handong tends to her lab and a few restored soil and plant samples. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

That story, however, typically has a unifying theme no matter what form the styling takes, and the last set of individual teasers seemed to bring that home in the form of Dreamcatcher as environmental scientists seeking to bring life to a mostly barren land. Far from the earthy spirit or heavenly goddess vibes, this set of teaser images embodied the group in a more practical role of regular humans trying to do something about the planet’s supposedly awful current state. Fans have really liked when Dreamcatcher dresses professionally in suits or in dress pants, and seeing them in practical black and white colors gave them a bit of an intellectual look that seemed to point to something tangible and not magical as being the key to saving the planet. Overall, the individual teasers of each Dreamcatcher album have never quite directly been related to what the theme of the song or plot of the trilogies might be, but they do give you an indirect, conceptual idea of what kind of world and what kind of roles/dress exist in said worlds. It’s all part of the fun speculation that often accompanies Dreamcatcher comebacks, and with the group teasers on their way this week, we’ll likely get a bit more to go on from there.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ALLTHEKPOP/status/1509825399475228680[/embed]

Of course we might just get a bit more detail when the group appears on the ALL THE K-POP channel this week as part of the build-up to a future Weekly Idol appearance. Delayed due to the COVID news from last week, it seems we will get a short 5–10 minute teaser of the upcoming episode as well as some more intriguing spoilers. This is, of course, to be one of many variety appearances the group will be on this comeback, and I’m really looking forward to Dreamcatcher’s third straight Weekly Idol appearance for their comeback promotions.

JiU’s spectacled face looks out speculatively towards the camera. Source: hf_dreamcatcher

We’re going to see a ton more information come out as the last full week before release is upon us, with the lyrics spoiler, highlight medley, and more giving us our first listen into what Dreamcatcher’s 2nd full album might sound like. As usual I’ll be covering all the news as it comes out, so be sure to be back here at the same time next week and clap, subscribe, and signal boost this content if you like what you see! Don’t forget that with the comeback inbound, there are plenty of resources out there for you to either learn about the group or see how you can best support them throughout, including: