"Alone in the City" is the 3rd Mini Album by Dreamcatcher. It was released on September 20, 2018 with "What" serving as the title track.
It was available in physical two versions: Light Version and Shade Version. This is the fifth installment of the Nightmare Series.
On May 18, 2020 through their official Twitter and fancafe, Dreamcatcher announced that a Kihno Kit version of the album would be produced and released. [1]
Tracklist
- Intro
- What Title Track
- Wonderland
- Trap
- July 7th (약속해 우리)
- What (Instrumental)
Background and Release[]
Alone In The City is the third mini album by Dreamcatcher. It was released on September 20, 2018 with "What" serving as the album's title track. "Wonderland" and "July 7th" were also promoted on music shows.
The physical release comes in two versions: Light and Shade.
Album Description[]
Dreamcatcher 3rd MINI ALBUM [Alone In The City]
"For those who want to escape from all the nightmares...."
Dreamcatcher's story of a 'new nightmare' - 3rd Mini Album [Alone In The City].
There are still some things that are not clearly explained. The chilling nightmares that invade your dreams can set your mood for the day. The gloomy, heavy feeling that builds up overnight is hard to shake off, no matter how hard you try.
Some people attribute these nightmares to stress. Family, school, career, work, etc.... There are countless sources of stress that plague our modern lives. And the seeds of those nightmares, stress, gradually germinate, take over the mind, and grow in size.
With this album, Dreamcatcher creates a new world of nightmares. Having escaped the Antique era with their previous album Nightmare · Escape the ERA, Dreamcatcher now plans to confront the "nightmares" of modern days. They sing endlessly, sometimes as the nightmares themselves, sometimes as your nightmare-plagued spokesperson.
This is not to say that the narrative plot is off track. From "Nightmare" and "Fall Asleep in the Mirror", to "Prequel", which answered the question of "how did the girls become nightmares?" to "Escape the Era" which concluded the first chapter of the nightmare arc, Dreamcatcher's unique and fantasy story continues to expand with "Alone In The City" without losing its impact.
Hints for interpreting Dreamcatcher's stories can be found in the music videos for each title track. The music video for "What" the title track of "Alone In The City", further expands Dreamcatcher's story by expressing the conflict between youth in the real world who are anxious and worried, the fantasy of recreating everything that troubles them in their nightmares, and the conflict between the seven nightmares.
The performance is also strongly appealing to Dreamcatcher's unique charm. The intensity of the heart-pounding metal-rock sound and the dance that incorporates the story of Dreamcatcher provide the audience with a different kind of pleasure. The time has come for Dreamcatcher's unique color, which started as a stranger, to be clearly marked by the public.
Dreamcatcher described their previous mini album Nightmare · Escape the ERA as "a comma, not a period", between nightmares. In this sense, their 3rd Mini Album [Alone In The City] is a passing of the baton of the "Nightmare Series", and the second chapter of the 'Nightmare Arc' that Dreamcatcher is creating.
Now, it's time for Dreamcatcher's 'new nightmare' to wake up. [2]
Dreamcatcher(드림캐쳐) 3rd MINI ALBUM [Alone In The City]
"모든 악몽으로부터 벗어나고자 하는 이들에게…."
드림캐쳐가 펼쳐내는 '새로운 악몽' 이야기 3rd Mini Album [Alone In The City]
아직 명확하게 설명되지 않는 것이 있다. 도대체 악몽은 왜 꾸는 걸까. 침실을 파고 든 찜찜한 악몽은 하루의 기분을 좌지우지한다. 밤사이 축적된 침울하고도 무거운 기운은 아무리 노력해도 쉽사리 떨쳐지지 않는다.
혹자들은 이러한 악몽의 이유를 스트레스에 기인한다고 말한다. 가정, 입시, 취업, 직장생활…. 현대인을 괴롭히는 스트레스의 원인은 셀 수 없이 많다. 그리고 그 악몽의 씨앗인 스트레스는 점차 싹을 틔우고, 마음을 비집고 덩치를 키우기도 한다.
드림캐쳐는 이번 앨범을 통해 새로운 악몽의 세계관을 그려낸다. 전작 [Escape the ERA]를 통해 Antique 시대를 탈출한 드림캐쳐는 이제 현대에서의 '악몽'과 직면할 계획. 이들은 때로는 악몽 그 자체가, 때로는 악몽에 시달리는 당신의 대변인이 되어 끝없이 노래한다.
그렇다고 해서 지금까지 펼쳐놓은 서사의 줄기를 벗어나는 것이 아니다. [악몽]과 [악몽-Fall asleep in the Mirror]부터 '소녀는 어떻게 악몽이 되었나'라는 해답을 담은 [Prequel], 악몽 스토리 첫 챕터의 완결을 알렸던 [악몽-Escape the ERA]까지 이어진 드림캐쳐만의 판타지 스토리는 [Alone In The City]로 그 힘을 잃지 않고 더욱 뻗어나간다.
드림캐쳐의 이러한 이야기들을 해석할 수 있는 힌트는 각 타이틀곡의 뮤직비디오에서 찾아볼 수 있다. 이번 [Alone In The City]의 타이틀곡 'What'의 뮤직비디오 역시 불안한 현실 세계의 청춘들, 그리고 자신을 괴롭히는 모든 것들이 악몽 속에서 재창조되는 환상, 그리고 '일곱 악몽' 사이의 갈등 등을 표현하며 드림캐쳐만의 이야기를 더욱 확장시킨다.
무대도 드림캐쳐만의 매력을 강하게 어필한다. 심장을 두드리는 메탈록 사운드의 강렬함을 품고 드림캐쳐의 스토리를 녹여낸 댄스 퍼포먼스로 청자들에게 색다른 희열을 선사하는 것. 낯설음으로 시작했던 드림캐쳐만의 색깔이 이제는 대중들에게 확실히 각인될 시기가 도래했다.
드림캐쳐는 전작 [악몽-Escape the ERA]를 "악몽의 마침표가 아닌 쉼표"로 수식한 바 있다. 이과 같은 의미에서 3rd Mini Album [Alone In The City]는 '악몽' 시리즈의 배턴을 이어받는 작품이자, 드림캐쳐가 그려가는 '악몽'의 두 번째 챕터인 셈이다.
이제, 드림캐쳐의 '새로운 악몽'이 눈을 뜰 때다. [2]Physical Album[]
Regular Version[]
- PHOTOBOOK: 64p
- CD: 1p
- STICKER: 1p (out of 3)
- PHOTOCARD: 3p (out of 28)
- POSTER: 1p
Kihno[]
- AIR_KiT: 1p
- POSTCARD: 1p
- TITLE & CREDIT CARD: 1p
- PHOTOCARD: 24p
Charts[]
Weekly Charts[]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (Gaon) | 2 |
| Japan Albums (Oricon) | 10 |
Monthly Charts[]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korean Albums (Gaon) | 10 |
Audio[]
Critical reception[]
Josh Naughton of the United Kpop website stated about the album that “The album itself contains a variety of tracks from different genres of music. “What,” the promoted single, is an upbeat rock song that stays in tune with previously promoted Dreamcatcher tracks and brand identity as a rock group. Furthermore, he noted that "Overall this is one of the best K-Pop releases of the year and shows the versatility of Dreamcatcher across multiple genres of music and rhythms."
The specialized site Seoulbeats noted in its review that “Although Dreamcatcher is known for its rock-inspired music, the songs that deviated the most from its usual sound were the ones that attracted the most attention:“ Wonderland ”and“ July 7th ”. "Wonderland", a sultry R&B track, does a great job showing the dynamic vocal range the group has. The combination of upbeat percussion, the contrasting slow synth beat, and the variation caused by the slight flow of triplets enhances the vocals of its members. "
Trivia[]
- On Setepmber 6, Dream Catcher released a mystery code video for their comeback. The near 50-second clip shows encouraging messages on the 'Bridge of Life'. ('Bridge of Life' was set up to decrease suicide attempts on the Han River). The audio is filled with depressing news stories on suicide, anxiety disorders, and more.
- Several fans were upset with the mystery code which seems to hint at suicide. As a result, many filed complaints to Happy Face Entertainment regarding the suicidal message. In response, the agency deleted the video and shared an apology.
“Hello. This is Happyface Entertainment.
First, we would like to apologize to any fans who were offended by the mystery code video released today.
The topic of this mystery code video was "stress," not suicide. The news stories included in the video were all about stress. In the process of expressing this, we overlooked that it could be interpreted in a rather extreme way.
As a result, Happyface Entertainment has removed the video and promises to be more careful to avoid such misunderstandings in the future.
Once again, we apologize to anyone who was offended by this mystery code video. Thank you.”
Links[]
Download/Stream[]
Video Gallery[]
Album Credits[]
Credits were taken from the photobook in the physical version of the album.
- Executive Producer: Lee Ju Won (이주원)
- Producing & Marketing: Happyface Entertainmenet
- Creative Producer: Jo Dong Hyeon (조동현)
- Music Producer: Jo Dong Hyeon (조동현), LEEZ, Ollounder
- Artist Managemnt & Promotion:
- Chief Manager: Hong Min Ho (홍민호)
- Manager: Kang Hyun Mo (강현모), Jeong Su Jin (전수진), Lee In Kwon (이인권), Han Pil Soo (한필수)
- Public Relations: Major7 Company
- Copyright Clearance: Kim Woo Ri (김우리)
- Marketing: Kim Ji Won (김지원), Lee Geum Jun (이금준) Major7 Company
- Fan Marketing: Jeon Soo Yeon (전수연), Park Min Ji (박민지)
- Media Contents: Hwang Yu Jeong (황유정)
- International Bussiness: Park Won Ik (박원익), Bang A Nam (방아남)
- Financial Management: Kim Mi Jin (김미진), Kim Woo Ri (김우리)
- Artist Development: Kim Kwang Woon (김광운), Park Seon A (박선아)
- Engineer: Jeong Il Jin (정일진) @Happyface Studio
- Recording Engineer: Jeong Il Jin (정일진) @Happyface Studio
- Mixing Engineer: Kim Seok Min (김석민) @MAPPS Studio, Master Key (마스터키) @821 Sound Mastering
- Mastering Engineer: Kwon Nam Woo (권남우) @821 Sound Mastering
- Stylist: Song Ha Na (송하나)
- Assist by: Kim Hyun Ji (김현지)
- Hair: Woo Ju (우주), O Rim (오림), Ha Eun (하은) @FREEFREETEAM
- Make up: Ju Young (주영), Su Yeon (수연), Jeong Min (정민) @FREEFREETEAM
- Choreography: Choi Seon Hee (최선희), Jeong Byeong Ho (정병호) @Switch
- Music Video Director: Yoo Seung Gyun(유성균) Sunny Visual Production
- Editor: Gang Seon (강선)
- Producer: Kang Soo Jeong (강수정)
- AD: Lee Jeong A (이정아), Kang Min A (강민아), Jo Yoon Jae (조윤재)
- DOP: Kim Ji Won (김진우)
- Lighting Director: Kim Jin Yong (김진용)
- Art Director: Jeong Bo Ram (정보람)
- Album Photograph: Kim Rin Young (김린용)
- Album Design: Lee Soo Jin (이수진), Jung Eun Sol (정은솔) @Million Archive
- Printing: ARANA
