[COLLAB – REVIEW] NCT DREAM – Chewing Gum

The young boys of SM’s SM Rookie program, a long with two new Chinese members, have entered the industry and debuted under NCT Dream with the single ‘Chewing Gum’! Today, LeeTaeyongsWife and Haru will be collaborating on a review, for you all to see both of our opinions and perspectives on the new release.

Haru:

‘Chewing Gum’ is a song that you would want to listen to when you’re in an upbeat mood. A good song to jam to on a nice summers day, when it’s not too hot, not too cold, just right. With an addicting and catchy hook, as well as an overall lovable and youthful feel, ‘Chewing Gum’ will surely be added to your playlist!

M/V – Song Review:

 The song starts off with the addictive “Chew chew chew chew chewing gum” hook that will be stuck in my head for the next weeks. The boys are in what looks like a boarding school bedroom, looking intimidated due to the security guard staring at them. It unfolds into the upbeat backing track a long with leader Mark’s singing. The song is already such a  different sort of sound you’d be used to hearing when it comes to Mark being in the group. Unlike the previous units he was in, NCT U and NCT 127, with vibes that are mature and grungey, NCT Dream already gives off the youthful vibe, which is a change and is nice to see.

The SM aesthetics have already begun, with a gradient background and collage of shoes stuck to chewing gum viewable behind Mark. Next to sing is  Jeno.  The manipulation to his voice can be heard hear quite clearly, honestly it fits the vibe of the song and video already, so it isn’t too overwhelming unlike, for example, SM’s latest release with EXO’s Lotto. Let’s hope they don’t keep using the auto-tune aesthetic.. hint hint.. it ain’t cute. His voice is nice though, and because the auto-tune wasn’t so powerful, it blended well with the beat.

The songs vibe slightly changes with Haechan singing. His voice is fantastic, honestly. He delivered his line well with that vibe change, and it’s one of my favourite parts in the song. Meanwhile, in the video, the boys are hunting for any candy they can find in their bedroom. Chenle brings the upbeat vibe back with his pre-chorus line. He had only been training in SM since March, and they filmed this video in June, on top of all that, he’s Chinese. His Korean pronunciation is good, but it needs improving, it’s understandable considering how new he is to Korea.

The hype for the chorus starts, with the chorus having new sounds being added. I could hear triangles and more bass, which was really nice. The marching band type feel with all of the boys singing the chorus is also a nice touch, it matches with the beat well.  Now the hook.. oh boy.. the catchy “Chew chew chew chew chewing gum” makes its way back into the song. Jaemin enters the song and video. His voice is quite nice, the line is one of my favourites in the song. It just suits it so much. In the background, the boys are dancing on hover-boards! That was cool to see, pleasantly surprised that the choreo is hover-board-able.

Jisung is up to sing, and his voice is actually pretty good for his age. Again, hint of auto-tune, not overwhelming and fits the vibe. Now. Renjun. Oh boy, Renjun. His line is my personal favourite, his vocal colour is just so nice. The vibe changes slightly like it did with Haechan’s line. His voice reminds me of Lay from EXO. He’s also Chinese, but to me his pronunciation was better than Chenle’s. Speaking of Chenle, the small vocalist enters again for the pre-chorus. This time, in the background, the boys seem to be celebrating and having fun in their dorm. The choreo looks great for this part of the chorus. Really looking forward to the live stages to see the full version.

After the catchy hook, Mark’s rap finally comes in! His rapping technique and voice is refreshing compared to other rappers. To me, he doesn’t have the more.. try-hard vibe to him. His flow and voice is good without it being outright annoying, which I found nice. After his rap comes the final chorus, with the boys switching through scenes from a pink, blue and yellow room, whilst doing choreography. Ah, SM aesthetics are great. The hook then proceeds to play after the chorus. The security guard walking up and down with yet another intimidating stare. The ending scene displays Jisung holding a big pile of chewing gum in his hands.

Overall, as you could tell, I’m a huge fan of this video and song! I just love it so much. NCT’s past releases haven’t been as jammable as this, and overall kind of let me down, so I was waiting for an upbeat and catchy song that I can listen to without feeling down or bored. A very great debut, and I look forward to their future releases!

LeeTaeyongsWife:

Song Review:
The song from the new unit of Neo Culture Technology named ‘Chewing Gum’ starts off with the repetition of the title of the track, serving as a catchy, iconic line. Mark then begins the first verse, his voice manipulated slightly in order to fit the school-boy concept SM are going for with this debut. The beat is interesting and slightly similar to what many would call kids bop; it finds the perfect balance between catchiness and cheesiness however. This in turn lessens the amount of cringe listeners feel when the hook begins, and instead makes them bop their heads along in time. This was particularly effective with me personally, as the second the chorus started the song as a whole gave off an adorable, heart-warming feel. Their youthful voices exert happiness when listening, and it’s definitely a track that made me reminiscent of my past experiences in school having fun.

MV review:
This music video begins as a classic school boy concept, tying in well with the member’s ages and experience in the entertainment industry. I’m actually a fan of the blue uniforms they wear in the beginning, as it reflects their dull and unified way of obeying their superiors. It takes the relatable moment of when you get caught by your teacher in school chewing gum, and puts new life into it. The transitions between each scene go well with the music too, however the computer edited childish background that appears while Mark is singing in the first verse is questionable. Honestly, all of the CGI backgrounds found in this video are quite confusing. Their styling is cute and fitting to the concept, switching from colourful and funky outfits as each member gets their screen time. Overall, it’s a cute video for a cute song sang by cute boys. I approve!

Overall thoughts:
I think that the decision to debut a group consisting of such young members is a risky but interesting move on SM’s part. It’s definitely unique and in my opinion a breath of fresh air to see such young and skilled idols. Their talent is evident in the way they perform and their star quality isn’t lacking based off their age. However, I do hope that this group will not be overexerted, and as SM have stated that they will make sure the boys sleep on time and will have some sort of rest, I see no problem in them debuting so early. There’s no reason to put a minimum age on when someone can achieve their dream, and if these boys love singing, dancing and being in a group together, then I’ll happily support them!

REPLAYABILITY: GREEN

Addictive, colourful song, that will surely have you up wanting to dance.