K-pop album promotion cycles are usually short, and as norms have changed in the Western pop market that brevity has become the case here as well. Artists often release several songs leading up to an album but rarely promote any new singles beyond that. With Dream, BLACKPINK’s Lisa has plucked a track from her February album and delivered a new “short film” (ie: music video) to bring extra attention to the ballad.
It’s funny how the BLACKPINK solo projects have allowed for more musical variety than the entire nine-year history of the group. Lisa’s album is a smorgasbord of genres, showcasing her talents as both a vocalist and rapper. Dream hinges on the former, offering the kind of soft diary-pop that’s become a popular hallmark for female soloists in our post-Taylor Swift world. It takes either a brilliant melody or bravura performance to interest me in this song style, and Dream never approaches either.
Dream is well-designed to evoke emotion from Lisa’s core fanbase, delivering a more sentimental layer to her discography. However, the song is too generic from both a sonic and lyrical perspective to elicit much sparks. The overall sound is a bit morose, though I enjoy the spikes of melody that pepper its chorus. But without a notable climax or larger-than-the-sum-of-its-parts moment, Dream feels more like an exercise in this genre than a necessary standout.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
