6 hours ago
5
A week ago, NCT DREAM unveiled their first title track, BTTF, from their 5th studio album, Go Back To The Future. Earlier this week, they officially dropped said album and their second title track CHILLER. As mentioned previously, this new album marks NCT DREAM’s first release in 8 months, following their 4th studio album, Dreamscape (which I have yet to review).
While BTTF was bolstered and bombastic (which I liked), CHILLER is a much… well, chiller track. I suppose this is the intention of a song titled CHILLER. Despite the trap-based instrumental, this ‘chiller’ vibe of the first verse lends the instrumental a smooth glide, giving it a more pleasant sound. Still, I miss the punchier, harder beats that NCT DREAM usually brings in their past title tracks. The chorus of CHILLER does give me a bit of that intensity I was hoping for, with a more prevalent pounding beat and some piercing shouts that give CHILLER some much-needed grit and edge. I wish more of this showed up in the track. The second verse does give small punches, but nothing attention-grabbing. I also felt like there was a flow problem in the song, with certain parts feeling like they were stuck together without any glue in between. I liked the vocals in the song, particularly when harmonies were present. The rapping side of CHILLER was more hit-or-miss for me. Overall, CHILLER just didn’t satisfy me as well as BTTF did.
The music video for CHILLER continues the time-travel concept inspired by the Back To The Future franchise. The hoverboard makes another reappearance in this music video, reconnecting NCT DREAM with their past and future (whilst also having fun and enjoying the moment). I liked the small, cute robot that is seen throughout the video, filming the members and that the members used to take pictures with. I also liked the part where the members turn into video game characters. That was rather cool.
Once again, despite not performing on the usual music shows yet, the group has already performed CHILLER at the launch of their 2025 world tour. I quite liked the performance more than BTTF‘s, as there is boldness to the chorus that helps make the stage memorable. I also like how the members put extra oomph into this part. I also liked the cascading part led by JISUNG in the second verse. It is the smoother parts of the routine that didn’t feel as well incorporated as they could have been.
Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10
Ending syllable at end of each chorus line was pierecing
English (US) · 