It is Not a Glitch, NCT Dream Really is Back With a Full-Length Album
NCT Dream brings a future-forward nostalgia and youthful maturity with their second studio album Glitch Mode. Their first studio album Hot Sauce was a celebration for 7DREAM getting back together and set the expectations pretty high with unexpected global success. However Glitch Mode is further proof of the power that NCT Dream’s YoDREAM-energy has.
Glitch Mode comes full-circle with a “Fire Alarm” that gets you on your feet, fueling your energy and vibe for the whole day. Then the mood keeps constantly shifting until you finally get to completely “Rewind” at the end.
Tracklist:
“Fire Alarm”
“Glitch Mode”
“Arcade”
“It's Yours”
“Teddy Bear”
“Replay”
“Saturday Drip”
“Better Than Gold”
“Drive”
“Never Goodbye”
“Rewind”
Early Success of Glitch Mode
Last spring, NCT Dream kept breaking their own records with Hot Sauce, which became a triple million selling album. Glitch Mode seems to be no different when it comes to collecting titles, numbers, and rankings. As of March 27, the album recorded over 2.03 million copies in pre-sale, not just once again breaking the group’s own record, but making them join NCT 127 and BTS as the only Korean acts who were able to achieve over two million pre-orders.
Breaking records before the album is even released shows the high anticipation of fans, which is further shown in music charts both in Korea and internationally. NCT Dream became the first group to debut in the top five on MelOn TOP100 chart in 2022, with all 11 tracks charting on domestic charts. Glitch Mode also debuted at No.1 on iTunes Worldwide, charting in a total of 28 regions and topping Chinese and Japanese music charts as well.
The Album: Glitch Mode
The group’s second full-length album contains a total of 11 songs with various moods. Glitch Mode showcases pretty well how NCT Dream’s musical color has a wide spectrum. From the ‘90s inspired trendy hip-hop beats, to the mature mood of sweet love songs, to sincere messages and warm comfort, we get a little bit of everything.
The album includes “Saturday Drip,” a unit song from the group’s rap line which sets the mood for not just all of our future Saturdays, but probably every other day of the week as well.
Despite having such a strong unit song, Glitch Mode is still able to show a great balance between the rap line (Mark, Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung) and the vocal line (Renjun, Haechan, Chenle). It shows how perfectly they complete each other and make each other stronger while each member still gets a chance to showcase their own unique charms.
The Title Track: “Glitch Mode”
“Glitch Mode” is such an NCT Dream song that it couldn’t fit any artist better. It’s a bit toned down compared to the loudness and noisiness of some of the recent title songs from SM Entertainment, which makes it an easy listen even on the first try—or are we just getting used to the trend? Although it is still very synth-heavy and loud, it works with the concept and the diversity of the song arrangement. It has the ‘90s mood but stays very fresh and energetic with how the composers played around with the parts and instrumentation, which balances out the heaviness.
It was also surprising for me to see how the chorus comes out so early in the song, but it definitely gives a nice momentum at the beginning that is kept high through the repetitive hook and chants until the bridge transition. The whole track is very addictive, but we have to highlight Haechan’s high note here.
The lyrics describe how you go into “glitch mode,” start buffering (which is the Korean title of the song), and basically completely freeze in front of your crush, which couldn’t be visualized any better than the music video does.
The Music Video: “Glitch Mode”
At this point, even their music videos become a set mood and style, something very NCT Dream with the bright colors and ultrawide shots.
The music video captures the theme of the title song really, sitting on the highest waves of Y2K trends—in both styling and the sets themselves. The story talks about how an error is caused in the system when you are in love. The video opens at a game store (where of course they are playing “Hello Future”) where members reveal their first role, the employees falling in love in such a springy, flowery green setting. Simultaneously, they also play cupid in a much pinker room that seems like the HQ of love with many screens that are very likely to glitch.
When the loved one doesn’t show up on the agreed date, there’s a glitch in the love’s system. It is expressed really well in the music video with a complete transition that seems to be caused by Haechan’s high note. Everything goes into “glitch mode” and the whole atmosphere freezes. The set and the outfits all become icy, following a cold blue and white color scheme contrasting the previous greens, flowers, and butterflies.
It’s a great visual production, but we can’t leave out the performance either. The choreography is just as addictive as the song, with the killing part definitely being the buffering, which they make very satisfying with being in sync. We can’t wait to see this on the stage!
The music video also followed the success of the album release itself. “Glitch Mode” reached 1,000,000 views on YouTube in just 21 minutes, hitting 30,000,000 views in less than a day.
B-Sides
It’s becoming a given that NCT Dream B-Sides are just as strong as any title song and always showcase how well they do R&B. As previously mentioned, the full tracklist just works perfectly together.
The album opens with “Fire Alarm,” showcasing NCT Dream's bold ambitions and energy, setting the whole mood for the tracklist. It is followed by “Glitch Mode” before we get another game-themed song. “Arcade” is a hip-hop dance song with nice vocal plays and dynamic beats. It gives back the confidence after buffering in “Glitch Mode,” saying that if you want to win the arcade game (love?), you have to follow and stay with me.
The fourth track opens a sweeter mood for the album. “It's Yours” is a medium-tempo pop song that says no words are enough to express what the loved one means to NCT Dream. It’s followed by “Teddy Bear,” an R&B pop ballad song that meshes the EP sounds with the sweet voices of the members. It opens with Mark’s narration that already catches the attention, and the whole song is like an actual teddy bear, feeling like a warm, protecting hug. Next up we have “Replay,” another mid-tempo R&B pop song, though this time it’s combined with old school instruments, hi-fi synths, and deep bass that fits well with the mood of the lyrics. “Replay” is about longing for happy moments after a breakup, wanting to hit that replay button on those good days—hopefully without any glitch this time. It shows some more mature charms of the group.
The seventh track on the album is the earlier mentioned rap unit song. "Saturday Drip" is a hip-hop song with witty synth sounds that bring ‘90s nostalgia. As the title suggests, it’s about a Saturday night when you are finally able to release all that’s been going on during the week. It’s just a very cool track that you’ll be vibing to regardless of what day it is.
This is followed by some more funky festival vibes. “Better Than Gold” is a synth-pop song with a cheerful rhythm and bass line. It expresses how being together now (“Now” is the Korean title of the song) is more precious than gold. “Drive” is the one that starts shifting the mood of the album towards rewinding, as a drive home from a trip. It’s another medium-tempo song, with acoustic piano and guitar sounds that reminisces the younger days spent with long-time friends. It’s a very comforting and warming tune. This is followed by the R&B ballad “Never Goodbye,” which is another comforting track. This melody is a reassurance that when our paths turn in different directions, “I'll come meet you in a heartbeat / You were, you are, you and I / Will always be together.”
As the closing of the album, we completely “Rewind” with another mid-tempo R&B pop song. Its light beat and synth give it a calming but bright mood, with the lyrics reminiscing about great memories. It’s both a song of hope for 7DREAM to stay together for a long time and a song that expresses the group’s love for NCTzens.
Early Promotion That International Fans Can Join Too
We are getting an online show from the boys! DREAM STAGE: GLITCH MODE will be broadcast globally on beyondlive.com on April 5 for $15 USD. The performance is said to be in a structured composition that looks like a musical and contains a surprise stage. We will definitely be there!
“Glitch Mode” Title Score: 10/10
“Glitch Mode” MV SCORE: 10/10
Glitch Mode Album Score: 10/10
Total Score: 10/10
Edited by Rashelle B.