Dreamcatcher and the “PIRI” Comeback
On February 13, 2019, Dreamcatcher released their fourth mini-album The End of Nightmare along with the music video for title track “PIRI.” The mini-album features four tracks, an intro, and an instrumental version of “PIRI,” with the genres ranging from EDM, rock, trap, soft pop, and a bit of jazz.
Known for being the Horror Queens of K-Pop, it’s no surprise that the music video for “PIRI” incorporated many horror elements, with imagery like hands poking out from the walls to drag the members away, a twist similar to the one seen in the music video for “The Kill” by Thirty Seconds To Mars (which was inspired by The Shining, a movie Dreamcatcher have used as inspiration in the past), and blood spilling from a piri. For any fans that don’t know this already, piri is the Korean word for “pipe,” with the repeated line, “Blow the piri”* used throughout the track. The girls of Dreamcatcher are lost, trying to find their way through the twisted maze of the music video, and they know that the only thing that can help them escape is for their love to blow the piri.
*Translated lyrics from the music video’s subtitles, with piri used in place of “pipe” in the captions.
A few days after the release of the music video for “PIRI,” dance practice videos were released; one was filmed in their practice room while the second was recorded on the set of the music video. Just under a month after the release of The End of Nightmare, Dreamcatcher released a special video for B-side “And There Was No One Left.”
Dreamcatcher had their first comeback stage for “PIRI” on M!COUNTDOWN on February 14, 2019. For their comeback stage, Dreamcatcher wore the black and red outfits seen in the music video. The stage design was slightly trippier and definitely brighter, but it gave a different vibe to the performance than what was seen in the “PIRI” music video. This wasn’t so much as telling a story on stage as the music video was, but rather a way to show off the incredible choreography. Another highlight of this comeback performance is the fact you can tell their vocals were performed live, showcasing just how talented the girls of Dreamcatcher are.
Unfortunately, even with all of their hard work since debut and through promotions, Dreamcatcher did not take home any music show wins for “PIRI” nor were they nominated at the 2019 year-end awards shows.
The End of Nightmare peaked at No. 3 on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart, No. 7 on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart, and No. 6 on the Billboard World Albums Chart. Sadly, none of the tracks from The End of Nightmare appeared on any iteration of the Gaon Digital Charts, but title track “PIRI” did appear at No. 123 on the Gaon Weekly Download Chart and No. 12 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart, the only track to chart.