As NCT DREAM approaches its 9th anniversary, the group is making a comeback with a new album centered on the concept of time travel, telling stories of the past, present, and future.
NCT DREAM (Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung, hereafter NCT DREAM) held a press conference for their 5th studio album 'Go Back To The Future' on the 14th at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Songpa-gu, Seoul.
NCT DREAM's 5th studio album 'Go Back To The Future' contains the story of NCT DREAM embarking on a time travel journey to find their most radiant 'self.' For the storytelling of this album, NCT DREAM constructed a vast 'time travel' worldview, set against the backdrop of 'Past' in 2016, 'Present' in 2025, and 'Absolute Present' in the distant future. To faithfully implement a concept that pays homage to the movie 'Back To The Future,' they received formal approval for the homage from the original creators, Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, and combined elements symbolizing NCT DREAM's identity with the key devices from the film to complete their own 'time travel universe.'
Mark introduced the album by saying, "It is an album with double title tracks. It consists of 9 songs and carries a theme of time travel. We, the quirky seven members of NCT DREAM, accidentally discover a time machine, which is a hoverboard. As NCT DREAM, known for our storytelling, we included many fun elements in the album revolving around time. It's a fun album depicting our journey to find our most brilliant selves through time."
Mark further noted, "I think there isn't a team with as delicious a narrative as NCT DREAM. Considering that we, after ten years, are doing a time travel narrative, I thought we could tell many stories. I believe we can express fun elements with symbolic items like pajamas and hoverboards, and since we are a team that conveys positive messages and healing, this concept is perfect."
In particular, NCT DREAM expressed confidence in the album, stating, "We have as much confidence in this album as the sky and the ground," and added, "As we are approaching our 9th anniversary, if you see our performance, you will feel that we prepared this as if it were our debut album. Regardless of time, you can feel how sincere we are about this album and how much we want to show that."
Ahead of their comeback, NCT DREAM held the '2025 NCT DREAM Tour 'The Dream Show 4: Dream The Future'' from the 10th to the 12th at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. They recorded a total sellout for all three performances, gathering a total of 60,000 fans, setting the record for the most performances ever at Gocheok Dome.
Regarding this, Jaemin expressed, "I believe it's thanks to the fans who fill the concert halls every time. If those who attended the performances feel that they made the right choice to see an NCT DREAM concert, that brings me great fulfillment. Since we started this album with a tour, we will work hard to show various sides of ourselves and present a wonderful image globally."
NCT DREAM conveys its unique message through the double title tracks 'BTTF' (Back To The Future) and 'CHILLER.' 'BTTF' carries a message of realizing a regret-free past while faced with choices that can change the past and moving toward the brightest future. 'CHILLER' depicts enjoying the present self in a lively and cheerful manner, weaving between the narrative of 'BTTF.' The anticipation grows for how NCT DREAM will showcase the narrative accumulated over the past 9 years and the confidence toward their new future through the two title tracks.
Regarding 'BTTF,' Jeno stated, "It is a song with a concept of time travel, as the title suggests. It well reflects the core concept of the album. The content of the song involves embarking on time travel to find our most brilliant selves, making the performance intense." Renjun added, "All the time in the past has accumulated to create the current NCT DREAM. There are lyrics that recur like a slogan, capturing our shining selves from the past, present, and future. It is our aspiration conveyed to the fans and also the message of this album, making it feel even more meaningful."
NCT DREAM has stirred nostalgia by paying homage to their debut song. They explained, "In the music video for 'BTTF,' we wore the pajamas we had on for our debut song. We tried to recreate the spaces and styling as they were. I think fans will remember our younger selves while watching the music video, and it conveys the message that the 'us' back then has led to the 'us' now. We shot it with the belief that fans will love it."
Regarding 'CHILLER,' Chenle noted, "It is a song that follows 'BTTF.' It carries a message of enjoying my most radiant self just as I am. The word 'CHILLER' itself conveys a sense of leisure, and the lyrics reflect that. There are many joyful and witty expressions, and I believe it suits us well, though we have matured, we still have a playful side." Jaemin added, "'CHILLER' features a general sound. If you listen to it alongside the intro of 'BTTF,' it brings great fun. I hope you can focus on that. Also, when we recorded 'BTTF,' we did it in a chill atmosphere. We aimed to convey the lyrics while keeping it relaxed yet earnest. Personally, I love it as I think it shows the color of NCT DREAM."
NCT DREAM chose double title tracks for the first time since their debut. Chenle stated, "It naturally happened that way. Rather than deciding to have double title tracks from the planning stage, we both loved them so much that we ended up going with double title tracks. It was perfect as it formed a continuous storyline." Renjun explained, "The intros are very similar, and there’s a feeling of branching out from a single strand, which was fascinating. We discussed making the music video that way, and so it became a double title track."
Additionally, this album includes tracks that creatively express the time travel theme such as 'I LIKE IT,' an anthem that showcases NCT DREAM's unique energy, 'DREAM TEAM,' a dreamlike sound to change the atmosphere in 'Interlude: Back to Our PARADISE,' and tracks like 'My Rain Shower ('Bout You),' depicting clumsy memories of first love, 'When the Summer Wind Blows (That Summer),' tenderly capturing the moment of parting with 'Dawn Star (Miss Me),' and reflecting on the past journey with 'Sailing (Beautiful Sailing),' filled with the new yet quintessential sentiments and messages of NCT DREAM.
As NCT DREAM approaches its 9th anniversary, Jisung shared, "I am grateful to have been with the fans and the members over the past 9 years. I feel pride in being a team that can hold a concert at Gocheok Dome. In the latter half of the year, we seem to be able to show a very busy and good image, contrary to the first half." Haechan added, "Even though we are approaching the 9th anniversary, we will show a passion as if it's just our 9th day since debut. We will be releasing an album and going on tour this year, and I think there will be something fun at the end of the year." NCT DREAM playfully expressed their ambitions, stating, "We will spend this year as fully packed as a soy marinated crab restaurant."
Meanwhile, NCT DREAM stated their goals for this album, saying, "We hope the overall worldview that we prepared ambitiously is well conveyed. It’s not just us but also the company has worked hard and prepared for this. Our main goal is for that passion to be conveyed significantly." In particular, Mark added, "While each of us may have various new dreams, I believe that achieving the dream we initially had is valuable. As a group that was all minors when we debuted, we are now growing and dreaming bigger, conveying healing and positive energy to more people. Instead of dreaming different dreams, we want to carry the message, even if the form differs."
On the other hand, NCT DREAM's 5th studio album 'Go Back To The Future' will be released on various music sites with all tracks at 6 p.m. on the 14th and will also be available as a physical album on the same day.
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