We’ve long since crossed the threshold of having definable NCT units with their own sound and purpose. Instead, the past five or six years have seen the rise of a standard SM Entertainment style, and when the agency does release a song that embraces a different sound it feels almost revelatory. Unfortunately, the only revelatory thing about NCT Dream’s new single Smoothie is how obnoxious and devoid of original ideas it is.
NCT Dream have some bangers in their discography and are at their best when eschewing the usual gruff NCT textures for shots of colorful melody. Smoothie doesn’t seem interested in this at all, and that’s evident from its very first moments. It’s hard to take a song seriously when it opens with a whispered “smoothie,” delivered as if it’s the most badass word to ever exist in the English language. From here, the verses continue this posturing before we move into exhausting NCT-brand chants. A brief shot of melodic drama takes us into the chorus, which is… something.
I’ve long complained about K-pop’s penchant for “catchphrase choruses,” in which one word or phrase is repeated over reheated production. Smoothie takes this to a new level of bad. Not only is the word “smoothie” incredibly awkward in this context, but it’s delivered with all the edge of a glitching voice message. Then, of course, the production throws in a requisite slurping sound effect just in case we didn’t already realize how gimmicky the whole thing is. I might be able to overlook many of these frustrations if the song itself was catchy or even listenable, but the whole thing feels like NCT running on fumes. It’s difficult to get through.
Hooks
4
Production
6
Longevity
7
Bias
5
RATING
5.5