[Album Review] VirtuouS (10th Mini Album) – Dreamcatcher

The next album up for review is Dreamcatcher’s VirtuouS. This is the group’s 10th mini-album and was released in July 2024. It is led by the title track, JUSTICE, and features an additional four songs. This album release follows their VillainS (title track OOTD) comeback from November 2023, the first part of their ‘VersuS‘ duology. Overall, VirtuouS is a powerful mini-album, with consistently strong songs across the board. This earns it a recommendation stamp from me (as you can see at the end of the post).

More recently, for Dreamcatcher, it was announced that Handong, Gahyun, and Dami were leaving their company, but it was confirmed that they remained in the group. In addition, JiU, SuA, and Yoohyeon will form a unit, while Siyeon will start a band. All these announcements are intriguing, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for each member of Dreamcatcher, though I hope there will be regular group comebacks, as well.

VirtuouS Album Cover

. Intro: 7’Dreamcatcher’ – Opening up this mini-album is an instrumental track. This one starts off captivating with the piano, before slowly developing into the very familiar rock sound that Dreamcatcher is known for. The journey to get to the rock sound was beautiful. When the track realises the rock sound, it is powerful and impactful. A stunning opener.

2. JUSTICE (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for JUSTICE. (9/10)

3. STΦMP! – With a title like STΦMP!, you expect the song to have some heft. And we got just that. With Dreamcatcher at the helm, it is no surprise that STΦMP! fully embraces a powerful rock instrumental. The “Stomp Stomp” chant at the start of the chorus is definitely the song’s highlight, and you can feel the group’s command on stage now during the chorus. Their vocals are powerful and impressive in this one. (10/10)

4. 2 RINGS – Right off the bat, 2 RINGS doesn’t mess around, launching the audience into a punk rock sound. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the guitar work in 2 RINGS, as it was an astounding element and adds so much momentum to the song. Dreamcatcher also doesn’t mess around with their delivery. Once again, they sound very powerful and exude a lot of attitude and sass in this number. Personally, I do feel like they could have stepped up all elements in the final chorus to really round out the song. But what we did get was already outstanding. (9/10)

5. Fireflies – Final song on the album is Fireflies. Hearing the piano and balladry direction of the song was quite a shift from what is on this mini-album. But this ‘shift’ is not a bad thing. Dreamcatcher whisked me away with Fireflies, with beautiful instrumentation and stunning vocals and harmonies. Those harmonies, especially at the end, make the final moments of this mini-album so emotional. Fireflies has everything I love in a ballad. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.5/10

Teaser image for VirtuouS