The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Dreamcatcher calls for climate action with second LP ‘Apocalypse: Save Us’

By Choi Ji-won

Published : April 12, 2022 - 19:44

    • Link copied

Dreamcatcher poses for pictures during the media showcase for the act’s second LP “Apocalypse: Save Us” on Tuesday in Seoul. (Dreamcatcher Co.) Dreamcatcher poses for pictures during the media showcase for the act’s second LP “Apocalypse: Save Us” on Tuesday in Seoul. (Dreamcatcher Co.)
K-pop girl group Dreamcatcher on Tuesday made a comeback in nine months with their second full-length album, “Apocalypse: Save Us.”

The band conducted a press conference ahead of their comeback to talk about the album and its production.

The new album is the first studio album participated by all members, as the act’s Chinese member Handong had to sit out on the first LP, “Dystopia: The Tree of Language,” due to activities in her home country.

“Handong couldn’t be with us during our first LP, so we’re happy to be releasing this album as a complete group this time. It’s also meaningful that we’re presenting more new songs for Insomnia,” Jiu said, referring to their official fandom.

The expansive record calls on listeners to save the planet from destruction, a social message which the members said will continue through the new musical series “Apocalypse.” The new album marks the start to the three-chapter series.

Fronting the 14-track set is “Maison,” through which Dreamcatcher sounds a stark warning at people who have become oblivious to the damage they are inflicting on the environment.

“It talks about a grave issue. We’ve always dealt such social messages through our music and it’s meaningful to be singing about such vital issue at hand again,” Yoohyeon said of the title track, adding that the members themselves had the chance to rethink about the topic of environmental destruction through the production.

The group also went all out for the title track’s music video.

“Almost everything was created through computer graphics,” Sua said. “There’s a scene where I had to jump off from a tall platform, and that part I did by myself, without the help of a stunt actor or computer graphics,” she added.

Five years into their career, the septet has been steadily carving out their own niche genre inside the K-pop scene with their iconic rock-metal sounds and dark, nightmare-themed narratives.

This album holds more significance for the bandmates as it includes a solo song produced by each of the members: Jiu’s “Cherry (Real Miracle),” Sua’s “No Dot,” Siyeon’s “Ecstasy,” Handong’s “Midwinter,” Yoohyeon’s “For,” Dami’s “Beauty Full” and Gahyeon’s “Playground.”

“We’re happy to be showing Dreamcatcher in our complete selves. All the members took part in the composition and penning of the lyrics, and we hope to show that we’ve pushed our envelopes further as singer-songwriters,” Handong said.

Gahyeon, who was writing and composing for the first time, said “it came as a huge challenge,” but Jiu and Siyeon had helped her out a lot through the process.

The bandmates also hoped they could solidify their global presence with the new album.

“Although it would be great if the new song becomes a chart-topper, but more than that, we hope we could gain more recognition from the global fans with it,” Jiu said.

Along with their comeback and album release at 6 p.m., the band will host a mini concert for fans at 7:30 p.m., which will be held in person in Seoul and simultaneously livestreamed for fans overseas.

“Although we’ve been on a live stage countless times before, I found myself feeling nervous ahead of the concert,” Dami said, adding, “We will all be performing our solo stages, so please take a close look at how we show our own stories.”

Meanwhile, Dreamcatcher has been invited to perform at Primavera Sound 2022, one of Spain’s biggest music festivals, as the first K-pop group to ever take part in it. The last edition of the show drew a 220,000-strong crowd. The upcoming edition will take place on June 2-4 in Barcelona, and the K-pop act will perform on the final day.

“It’s a great honor. We will be representing South Korea through our stages, so we’re preparing hard for it and we hope to show the true colors of Dreamcatcher,” Siyeon said.