Ten years of NCT DREAM in six songs: what to hear before 'DREAM AFTER DREAM', from the foam in 'Chewing Gum' to the tilted table in 'BTTF'

NCT DREAM releases its 6th full-length album, 'DREAM AFTER DREAM', at 6 p.m. KST on Monday, November 9. It has ten songs, and the title track, 'Boogie Woogie', is a fast dance track that lays today's synthesizers over 1970s disco funk. JAEMIN took part in writing the lyrics, which, we hear, look back on the time the members have spent together for the 10th anniversary of their debut and thank one another. The music video for the album's first track, 'The Sun', came out earlier, on October 20, and the official YouTube channel has a live at 5 p.m. on the 9th and a showcase, 'The Harvest Day', at 8 p.m. on the 12th scheduled.
Sources: NCT DREAM official video description · TenAsia · Korea Times · Topstar News

NCT DREAM released the single 'Chewing Gum' on August 24, 2016, debuted on a music show stage the next day, and reached its 10th anniversary this August. It is now six members, RENJUN, JENO, HAECHAN, JAEMIN, CHENLE and JISUNG, and MARK's exclusive contract with SM ended on April 8. That's why seven members appear in several of the music videos below. We picked six title tracks, the debut song, the first mini album the next year and then one every two years, and for each one pointed to a moment to hear and a scene to watch. Times follow the official music videos.
Sources: Wikitree (SM's statement)

2016 · 'Chewing Gum'

The debut single. The song opens with 'C-c-c-c-c-c-Chewing Gum' from the very first sound, and for the first 7 seconds there are no drums or bass, only the vocals and the other instruments. At 1:16 all the backing drops out for 1 second and only the vocals remain, and at that very moment on screen a pink pump bottle squeezes white foam onto a palm. At 1:17 the foam piles up in the shape of soft-serve ice cream. Apple Music

2017 · 'We Young'

The title track of the first mini album. From 0:04.6, for 2 seconds the drums drop out and the bass comes to the front, and on screen seven members dance on clouds. Near the end of the song, at 3:07 on 'we hot and we young', almost all the backing drops out for nearly 1 second and only the vocals remain. Apple Music

2019 · 'BOOM'

The title track of the third mini album, 'We Boom'. MARK was away from the team on a 'graduation' that year, so the music video has six members, the same number as now. At 1:33 on '녹을 걸 네 맘은 Ice cream' (your heart will melt, ice cream), when only the vocals remain for a second or so, books scatter through the air on screen. From 2:28, for 3 seconds without drums or bass, they sing '전부 감당할 수 있어 우린' (we can handle it all) while six members lie on a white circular stage seen from above, with flowers ringing the edge. The photo at the very top is this scene. Apple Music

2021 · 'Hot Sauce'

The title track of the first full-length album, which is titled '맛' in Korean. As the first lyric, 'Hot sauce 깊이 Dip that eh' (the Korean part means "deeply"), comes in at 0:05.6, look for '08 25' written vertically near the top of the yellow wall. There is no official explanation of what it means. At 3:11, where the last line, '입맛대로 골라 Ma dish' (choose to your taste, Ma dish), ends, the drums and bass drop out for 1.5 seconds and only the vocals remain, and the screen shows a yellow room with sky-blue flame-shaped lights spreading across both walls. Apple Music

2023 · 'ISTJ'

The title track of the third full-length album. The voice doesn't come in until the first lyric, 'Introvert', at 0:18. From 0:41 to 0:46 the drums are out and the vocals and bass carry the song, and at 0:43.8 the 'EXIT' on a red emergency-exit sign warps, then turns into 'ISTJ' at 0:45. At 2:00, MBTI labels such as 'ISFP', 'INFP' and 'ISTJ' are attached over a photo of a brain cross-section. Apple Music

2025 · 'BTTF'

The title track of the fifth full-length album, 'Go Back To The Future'. At 0:10, under a red sky, seven people in black suits sit side by side at a long table with microphones in front of them. On the first lyric, 'Ya Ya Whoa Ya Ya Whoa', at 0:27, the backing drops out for 1.7 seconds and only the vocals remain, and right then the screen tilts, the people seated lean to one side and papers fly. Apple Music

The last comeback song before this was 'Beat It Up' in November 2025 (Apple Music). The other acts coming back on the same day, the 9th, are covered in our November 6 comeback schedule guide.