Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Dreamcatcher ended their dystopian trilogy to begin 2021 with the addicting “Odd Eye” and are now releasing what they are calling a special album that seems to be a one-off concept. “BEcause” is the single, focusing on something that’s supposed to be a bit lighter fare on the surface but is actually somewhat of a delightfully sinister throwback to their ‘Nightmare’ era, with a single that effectively mashes up a lot of the concepts from the past.
“BEcause” is definitely a treat for fans in particular, dropping in easter eggs all over the place with callbacks not only in the music video, but also in the song itself. They say familiarity breeds contempt, but Dreamcatcher avoid that by organically weaving in parts of previous concepts. The creepy soundscape fits snugly and appears to contrast with the lyrics (like The Police‘s “Every Breath You Take“), though the underlying sinister bite them connects all of their eras quite creatively.
Melodically, the overwhelming strength of “BEcause” is the synth riff that starts the song and features prominently in the chorus. The drum and bass foundation reminded me of “Sleep Walking“, which was a superior beat but was also one of the best songs that year, so no shame there. The combination of these two elements raises the floor of “BEcause” quite high, much like the guitar melody from the chorus of “Odd Eye” did, because its aural appeal is so strong.
As somebody who enjoys ‘fleshed-out choruses’ to the point where that description could become a meme in reviews, Dreamcatcher definitely stuffs the chorus of “BEcause”, perhaps to the point it was a touch too busy. Like I said, the synth is arguably the most melodic part of the song and draws you into it immediately at the start, so those sections probably could’ve used more room to breathe. But the “because I like/love you” hook with the melodic synths are plenty addictive, it’s surprisingly rhythmic on repeat listens, and the aggressive ending flourish was a nice touch as well.
The vocal verses are one of the highlights here, relying on the driving percussion that’s pushed forward with a lighter mood than most Dreamcatcher fare. That switches with the pre-chorus, which drops them immediately back to the territory they excel in, with a harder rock guitar sound to set the stage. The rap break changes pace with a deeper dive into drum and bass. It figures to be polarizing switch as, on the surface, it doesn’t mesh especially well. However, contrary to a lot of the recent rap breaks in Dreamcatcher (and K-pop) songs that slow the pace or don’t fit, this simply kicked the already established genre into overdrive and was a pleasant surprise. The bridge is where things completely drop out instead, smartly providing a breather with haunting vocals that accentuate the concept rather than nonsensical trap breaks, and uses that as a launching pad into a rousing close.
One thing that definitely jumped out for this comeback is the music video, which was arguably their best yet. They all looked amazing, and conceptually it was an interesting take on the themes of Jordan Peele‘s Us, with the execution to match from the cinematography and choreography.
“BEcause” may have sections that appeal more to the general public, but it’s not at all safe song, as most prefer the rock elements even if delivered on paint-by-numbers tracks like “Eclipse”. In fact, I’d anticipate the reception being more split than usual thanks to multiple elements that listeners tend to find divisive, but for the most part the risks they took work as it subverted some of my expectations. Admittedly, it’s not one of those anthemic songs that jumps at you as a mainstream hit, but it holds up well under the scrutiny of multiple listens and the replayability makes the array of callbacks on “BEcause” special indeed.
