K-pop girl group Dreamcatcher returned with their latest rock-infused dance track today (Sept. 24). “What” leads the septet’s new EP Alone in the City, and is their third single of 2018 following “Full Moon” and “You and I.”
Like all of the act’s past singles, “What” is a vibrant pop-rock song that thrives on propulsive guitar riffs, pounding drum beats, and sleek synths as it roars towards the explosive choral questioning of the repeated title query. Drawing on the group’s dream-inspired name, the single’s melody appears to emulate the tension of a nightmare as the Dreamcatcher members sing and rap about trying to wake up from one.
Though less overtly magic and mystery-inspired than some of their past releases, the accompanying music video for “What” features the group as they interact with the world as if awake in dreams and nightmares, trying to sort it all out. All the while, they’re performing the song’s dynamic choreography while in a crystal snow globe and amid dark alleys. This is the first music video in which the girl group has gone for intensely modern looks, with each of the septet looking fierce in her own unique outfits that blend feminine individuality with punk and goth edginess.
Prior to the song’s release, Dreamcatcher’s label Happy Face Entertainment issued an apology on social media related to a music video teaser clip for alleged allusions to suicide.
“What” is the lead track on Dreamcatcher’s Alone in the City album, with allusions to the album’s title appearing in the music video. The EP is their first since the completion of their Nightmare album series, which completed with May’s Escape the Era. That album went to No. 7 on the World Albums chart, and preceded their first-ever Stateside fanmeet while the group was in Los Angeles to perform at KCON 2018 LA.
Watch the music video for Dreamcatcher’s “What” here: