Written By: Nawal Chowdhury ; Guests: Avianne and Sammy
Kim Kyung-Mo, who goes by the professional moniker DPR Cream, has finally released his new album, psyche: red. The album consists of 11 amazing tracks, showcasing DPR Cream’s talent on both vocals and production. The last time fans heard DPR Cream’s vocals on a song was on his 2019 collaboration with DPR Live, “Gravity.”
psyche: red explores themes of confusion, complex emotions, disorder, and rebellion. It is an album that displays the uncertainty of youth. In an interview with HYPEBEAST Korea, Cream says he feels like his “insides have been dyed bright red,” as the album name suggests. He goes on to explain that he does not know himself nor does he know what he wants in relationships. His mind is constantly changing. This is evident when we look at the lyrics throughout psyche: red.
I have gathered some avid DPR fans—Dreamers—to discuss this album with me:
Track 1: how many drinks (intro)
Nawal: What makes “how many drinks (intro)” the perfect introduction to this album? How does the rest of the album flow following the intro?
Avianne: It kind of starts light and vibey like you’re just strolling, cruising, vibing, maybe getting a little tipsy even and then it gets heavier (instrumentals-wise and added vocals). This duality feels like the perfect intro/summary to an album exploring confusion, dissonance & conflicting emotions. The lyrics also nod to this! “Confused, why are you here/why am I here?” and “are you an angel/devil or am I an angel/devil.”
Sammy: Kind of off what Avianne said, sorry I’m bad with describing stuff sometimes, but “how many drinks” starts off light and then it gets heavier, but I think it is a nice flow from the intro as it is a sound that I feel like represents confusion that continues into “test drive.”
Track 2-3: test drive and uzuz
Avianne goes on to explain how “how many drinks” flows into “test drive” by saying that the track feels like Cream is trying to escape or “drive away” from his thoughts about a specific person. He is looking for distractions to prevent him from thinking about this person.
Sammy: I have to say my favorite song is “test drive” because of the instrumentals. I love how it lines up with the rage and regret the lyrics create.
Going into the next track, “uzuz,” Cream seems to be stuck in a place, possibly room 2014 as the lyrics suggest. It implies being stuck in your own thoughts playing certain memories over and over again to the point of despair.
Track 4: darling
The fourth track, “darling,” reveals Cream reminiscing on his past involving a lover. He seems to be yearning for this person again as he recalls intimate moments with this individual. He is sharing his regrets about the falling out with this person and how he is coping with it.
There is a music video that accompanies this track directed by Jiahn Son. Watch it here!
Track 5: i miss u [too bad]
Avianne: This was my personal favorite for the way it sonically really captured the grief of losing someone & missing them—they’re still here, perhaps physically close even, but emotionally and socially so far and maybe even lost forever.
Nawal: I love this explanation. Not to get too emotional and personal, but I’ve been struggling with grief after my aunt’s passing in 2022, so this explanation really tugged at the heartstrings. I originally thought of this song as missing a romantic partner, but now that I look closer at it, it can be for anyone, yeah?
This exchange between Avianne and I about track 5 highlights the versatility that comes with music. It shows how music and art can be interpreted in many different ways. The art may mean one thing to the artist while it means something else to the audience. Music can resonate with people in unique ways and it has the power to capture complex emotions, just as Cream intended.
The sixth track of the album, “t,” has lyrics that convey a theme of enduring complex emotions and heavy burdens while keeping up the facade of composure. Cream is having an internal battle with resilience in the face of hardship. From what I’ve gathered, it looks like Cream has intense feelings for a person, but he must keep those feelings in check and endure the pain that comes with it. In “투,” Cream is coming to terms with some of the conflicts he has experienced. There is symbolism of redemption in this track along with a sense of letting go of grudges. The imagery of getting hit by the rain and continuing to run evokes resilience, which could be a continuation of the resilience in the previous track. It depicts an image of a forward-focused mindset, even in the face of adversity.
“We just get hit by the rain and run”
Tracks 8-10: puberty 1, 2, and 3
These three tracks work together as puzzle pieces to create one song. Throughout these tracks, Cream is giving in to his intense feelings for this person. His feelings are so strong that he can no longer fight them. There are themes of an existential crisis, vulnerability, intimacy, and intense emotional turmoil.
Track 11: savage
Nawal: What did you think of “savage?” I wrote something about this track before and I’m wondering if we have come to the same conclusion.
Avianne: That one has me feeling a little confused, feeling some sourness at the relationship just based on the lyrics.
In the article I wrote about “savage,” I explained that the lyrics imply that true beauty is beyond someone’s external appearance. True beauty is internal. Despite being beautiful on the outside, a person can be the opposite on the inside. Cream seems to have come to this conclusion following the end of a relationship in the song. Avianne agreed with my analysis of the track and goes on to point out these lyrics:
The lyrics that are referring to makeup work as a metaphor for exterior beauty being a faulty measure of true beauty, which comes from within. It is difficult to make judgments on a person’s character based on their external features.
Congratulations to DPR Cream on his comeback!
