[Review] When I’m With You – NCT DREAM

Moving back to the start of the week, NCT DREAM also returned with their fourth studio album DREAMSCAPE, led by the single When I’m With You. The album also features the pre-release single Flying Kiss (yet to be reviewed on the blog) and their first English track Rains In Heaven. DREAMSCAPE is not to be confused with their DREAM()SCAPE mini-album from earlier this year (led by Smoothie).

Compared to their previous comeback, When I’m With You is a bright and vibrant track. At first glance, the brightness made it feel like When I’m With You could have been a song from earlier in their career. But with where they are at (and this was definitely obsered), the new song has a mature focus and delivery. But there is a distinct difference between When I’m With You and the tracks from their earlier days. When I’m With You is a house-based electronic song with both a 90s and disco-pop tinge. I quite like this blend of styles as it has nostalgia, and it served as a solid upbeat base to the song. NCT DREAM’s vocals are good throughout When I’m With You. I like how melody-driven the song is and how well each member did on their own. When they come together for the chorus, When I’m With You felt wholesome. That being said, there were raps in the song and the sequence at the end of the song was very punchy. But while it sounds like it is all praises for the song, I also feel When I’m With You is too safe of a song for NCT DREAM. It lacks innovative or uniqueness that would help distinguish it from its competition, and this is that distinct difference I observed when I made that comparison to their earlier works. NCT DREAM was definitely known for a youthful and fresh sound when they started out. But I also associate an outgoing charm to them back then. In When I’m With You, I don’t feel it as much. The melodies in When I’m With You are ordinary at best, and they felt limited in their delivery. Had there been more dynamic melodies, or more substantial raps, or even allowed to flourish more vocally, these would have done wonders to When I’m With You.

The video shows the members depend on one another and working as a team to resolve their problems. The toy train set on the train represents the train they are on (how Inception is that?). Renjun’s apple drops onto the toy train tracks, causing the train to brake hard. Puzzle pieces and water go flying on the train, which become obstacles the members must overcome in their dreamscape (confirmed at the end when JAEMIN wakes up from his slumber at the end of the video) later on. But they work together to dodge the heavy puzzle pieces, reboard the train, get the train running again, and escape the carriage filling up with water. This is a slightly different interpretation of the lyrics of the song, which portrays the complicated emotions as one becomes irresistibly drawn to someone in the “DREAMSCAPE.” (taken from Soompi). The video just represents that someone as each other.

The all-smiles aspect of the performance helps makes the song come off a lot more vibrant and energetic. It also continues that youthful charm that NCT DREAM has long been associated with the group since their debut (as already mentioned).

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10