Bad girls gone good: Dreamcatcher showcases heroic new album 'VirtuouS' in Seoul

K-pop

Bad girls gone good: Dreamcatcher showcases heroic new album 'VirtuouS' in Seoul

Published: 10 Jul. 2024, 18:59 Updated: 11 Jul. 2024, 12:41

Girl group Dreamcatcher poses for the cameras at the showcase for its new EP "VirtuouS" held in Ilchi Art Hall, Gangnam District, southern Seoul on July 10. [DREAMCATCHER COMPANY]

Yesterday's villains, today's heroes — Girl group Dreamcatcher is back to save the day with its new album, “VirtuouS," to beat the summer heat.

“It is a very ‘just’ album in one word,” group member SuA told reporters at a showcase held at Ilchi Art Hall in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, on Wednesday, ahead of the EP's release at 6 p.m. “We showed ourselves breaking our limits and shining as heroes," said SuA.

“VirtuouS” is the band's 10th EP and its first new album in eight months. The group's previous album was “VillainS,” released last November.

Dreamcatcher told stories of the girl group exuding its self-confident individuality without a care in the world with “VillainS.” The girl group flipped this narrative with "VirtuouS,” portraying itself as making a different choice in a parallel world where they stayed strong together.

“Like our songs tell a continuous narrative, I hope all of our previous songs can reach the charts as well,” said SuA.

“VirtuouS” has five tracks: lead track “Justice,” “Intro: 7'Dreamcatcher,” “Stomp!,” “2 Rings” and “Fireflies.”

Girl group Dreamcatcher performs on stage at Ilchi Art Hall, Gangnam District, southern Seoul on July 10. [DREAMCATCHER COMPANY]

“Justice” is an alternative rock track with impressive guitars, building up to a grand finish of explosive vocal tremolos. The lyrics portray Dreamcatcher standing its ground against the forces of evil and staying true to its beliefs.

“I took care to use a more powerful voice,” said Handong. “I gave a more rock music vibe [with my vocals]. The composer kept asking me to push my voice harder. I didn’t even know I could make myself sound like this.”

“I tried to make my voice sound scratchy when I was doing the shouting vocals in this album,” said Dami, the main rapper of the girl group. She jokingly added that the composer thought her vocals were “annoyingly” good.

Despite the togetherness shown in the album's theme, Dreamcatcher was unfortunately one member down for Wednesday's showcase.

Girl group Dreamcatcher poses for the cameras at Ilchi Art Hall, Gangnam District, southern Seoul on July 10. [DREAMCATCHER COMPANY]

Member Siyeon is taking a break from her activities due to anxiety issues, as the group's agency Dreamcatcher Company said earlier this month.

“It would be a lie to say that we weren’t burdened,” said JiU. “She is the [main] vocal of our group. We told ourselves that the six of us would act responsibly, so that when she returns, we would be in an even better position.”

Staying together is in fact Dreamcatcher's strong point. The girl group officially debuted in January 2017, but five of the seven current members had already debuted as a girl group named Minx in 2014. The previous group struggled to see positive feedback from the public.

But after gearing up with a new and darker theme, Dreamcatcher finally found the fandom it was looking for.

“I didn’t even know that this was our 10th EP,” said JiU. “I only realized that when we were filming additional content [for the promotion].”

“I think it’s the synergy we have,” said Gahyeon, when the girl group was asked about how they managed to stick together for such a long time. “If one of us is having a hard time, we encourage and comfort each other.”

Girl group Dreamcatcher performs on stage at Ilchi Art Hall, Gangnam District, southern Seoul on July 10. [DREAMCATCHER COMPANY]

Dreamcatcher has been on its world tour "Luck Inside 7 Doors" since January. It has since performed in cities such as Seoul, Barcelona, London, Paris and Hong Kong.

“We are getting so much energy from our fans, Somnias,” said JiU. “We are also improving our stamina so much,” she added in jest.

Dreamcatcher is set to perform in Taipei, Taiwan, on July 27, followed by concerts in Mexico City, Mexico, on Sept. 11; São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 15; and Santiago, Chile, on Sept. 17.

"I hope our songs chart on Billboard," said JiU. "We also want to be invited to many overseas festivals so we can meet as many of our Somnias as we can across the world."

To find out more about Dreamcatcher, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]