If you’ve been following the blog long enough, you’ll probably know just how big of a Dreamcatcher shill I really am. They’ve rarely ever put a wrong foot, consistently releasing top tier work both for singles and especially b-sides. Last years two punch of Maison and Vision was one of the years most potent and while BONVOYAGE dials it back a bit from the pummelling bombast of those two tracks, it once again results in another excellent single.
In many ways, Bonvoyage plays like a sonic sequel to 2019’s great Deja Vu, melding emotive balladry during its tight verses with a rousing rock based hook. It’s a contrast that I very much love and one that the group continue to peddle incredibly well. But unlike its predecessor, Bonvoyage‘s quieter moments carry a sense of foreboding. Both production wise and melodically. You really get the sense that it’s building to something, building a slight sense of tension that keeps you interested even during the more jarring shifts in momentum. I don’t quite think the verses are as tightly woven as they could be but they provide the necessary building blocks for the real meat of the track.
And in typical Dreamcatcher fashion, it’s the chorus, which explodes with the necessary ferocity and grandiosity that you expect whilst also tracing a melody that feels wonderfully familiar without being cookie cutter. It’s a true moment, building perfectly off the stuttered pre-chorus and giving us the kind of anthemic, driving centrepiece that’s been so hard to find this year. It’s fully formed, forgoing the catchphrase heavy nature of many recent tracks and instead giving us a full course meal. Delicious. It’s a suitable payoff, a sentiment that also reflects the climax, one that hinges on a thrilling layered repetition of the tracks title. And though I don’t think it quite carries the kind of show stopping moments that make the groups best work stand out, Bonvoyage no doubt continues the groups incredibly strong singles run and works as an excellent caper to their excellent Apocalypse project..
Verses: 8
Chorus: 9
Production: 9
Performance: 9
Final Rating: 8.75 / 10
KBopped 