NCT Dream return Thursday (July 25) with their new single “Boom,” and it marks an explosive, thoughtful return for the teenage K-pop boy band.
Released ahead of the release of their We Boom album, the Dreamies’ first since last September’s We Go Up, “Boom” is a seismic shift for the youth-oriented act, serving up chill urban pop melodies, sleek synths and groovy percussion. A chanting chorus based on the titular word drives the track, as the members offer up powerful verses — a bridge in the latter half of the song that features expressive back-to-back belts by Haechan and Renjun and leads into a warm-toned display by Jisung stands out as particularly impactful — and crisp raps as they sing about pursuing their dreams.
Self-aware and in line with NCT Dream’s system of graduating members out when they reach adulthood, “Boom” addresses how the stars have grown up and developed in the spotlight, with Jisung, the youngest member, now 17 years old after having debuted in 2016 with the group when he was 14.
“Boom” was introduced through a captivating music video that showcases the act’s pristine, artfully performed dance moves and pairs choreography scenes with ones of the members surrounded by luxurious trappings as they perform a variety of activities, including fencing and painting. Recurring themes, like the duality of self and skeletal motifs, appear throughout.
While NCT Dream has released several one-off singles recently, We Boom is the first NCT Dream album sans former member Mark, who aged out of the act last year but is still active within the larger NCT project, and recently toured Stateside with NCT 127. The now six-member NCT Dream recently performed in the U.S. for the first time at the 24th World Scout Jamboree on July 23 in West Virginia, where they performed their song “Fireflies” to a crowd that went viral thanks to a series of videos showing scouts moshing to their songs.
my friend’s brother’s view of another mosh pit during nct dream’s jamboree performance im literally crying LOL pic.twitter.com/YXxpbA4bCZ
— minnie ?? (@jisungchus) July 24, 2019
the boyscout mosh pit for nct dream in west virginia is instantly one of the funniest things that’s ever happened in kpop history you can NOT change my mind
— Jaehyun Derulo? (@caloongi) July 23, 2019
We Boom dropped on Friday (July 26). Take a listen to it below.