K-pop septet NCT Dream dropped a new mini album on Monday morning (March 25), DREAM()SCAPE [pronounced “Dream Escape”], the follow-up to their 2022 EP, Candy. According to a release announcing the six-song project — featuring writing and production from several of the members — it “highlights more mature and intensified musical color from the K-pop phenoms… organically empathiz[ing] with the universal concerns and struggles of young people, while simultaneously presenting the hopeful message of overcoming adversities and growing together.”The project is fronted by the hip-hip-flavored single “Smoothie,” whose action-packed video finds members Jaemin, Park Ji-sung, Jeno, Renjun, Haechan, Mark Lee and Chenle playing an IRL game of “Fruit Ninja.” Wielding swords, long guns their fists and feet, the men smash fruit and battle baddies as they sing the hooky chorus, “Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, shake it all out and blend it / Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie, Smoothie Smoothie Smoothie / Dirty taste, drink it.”
The album opens with the dreamy, bubbling “icantfeelanything,” and includes the hip-hop-inflected Mark co-write “Box,” the low-key flexfest “Carat Cake,” mid-tempo burner “UNKNOWN” and the EP-ending ballad “Breathing,” with lyrics co-written by Mark, Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung. The group will also hit the road for their The Dream Show 3 world tour later this year, which will kick off in Seoul in May, with U.S., Latin American and European dates to be announced on May 8.
DREAM()SCAPE’s release comes eight months after the group dropped their third full-length studio album, ISTJ.
Listen to DREAM()SCAPE and watch the “Smoothie” video below.
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