[Review] Rains In Heaven – NCT DREAM

Back in August, NCT DREAM released their first original English single, Rains In Heaven. This follows their Korean comeback earlier in the year with Smoothie and DREAM()SCAPE, and their Japanese Moonlight comeback (which I have yet to review and will do so in a future International Song Review post).

If you cast your mind back to before this release, NCT DREAM’s other non-Korean release (Best Friend Ever) was quite subdued. Rains In Heaven continues that subdued trend. Just like how I stated in Best Friend Ever‘s review, there is nothing wrong with the subdued sound and Rains In Heaven is another great example. Sure, it has not reached the same heights as their Korean non-subdued releases, but that doesn’t mean Rains In Heaven should be overlooked. Everything you hear in Rains In Heaven is just so heavenly and pleasant, which complements the song’s comforting and heartfelt message that empathises with those who are hurt or struggling, and being a support to those people. I am sure this song has touched many listener’s hearts – it did so for me. As for the other elements of Rains In Heaven – the atmopsheric and etheral instrumentation delves into 1980s pop, with the synths and beat coming from that era. There are some modern elements in the song, but these are very minute. The subdued nature allows NCT DREAM to explore melodic material, evident by the stunning all-vocal chorus that take the centre stage in Rains In Heaven. Both the harmonies and melodies captivate me each time I listen to the song. It still contains some rapping, which does contrast with the melodic and harmonies. But they strike a really good balance that doesn’t disrupt the energy of the song. The outro is a really good example of this, with the harmonies, melodies and rapping working together to close out the song in a very memorable and strong fashion. it is needless to say, but I really liked Rains In Heaven.

To me, it was still a good video, but there wasn’t a whole heap going on in the video to really comment on. We see the members wander around for majority of the video, but it isn’t clear if they are experiencing struggles of their own. The scene between JENO and JAEMIN does seem to depict that, but I am not sure of the scenes with the other four members. But what the video does convey strongly is the support for one another when they are together and not alone, which complements the song’s lyrics. From the second chorus onwards, choreography scenes are infused into the video and I like that mini wow factor it brings when we see them for the first time in the video.

While there has not been an official performance video for this release, a big portion of the music video is dedicated to the choreography. NCT DREAM has also performed Rains In Heaven as part of their current world tour in America. I like the range of smooth and softer movements, with the sharper and more intense movements in this choreography. By having this range of moves, the performance acknowledges both the emotive sides of the song and the relatively hefty beat of the track. But the best part of the entire routine has to be the outro, where they really go in hard.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10