NCT DREAM’s fifth full-length album, Go Back To The Future, is an ambitious ride through timelines both real and imagined. Released on July 14, 2025, the album’s overarching concept centers around time travel. The group invites listeners to embrace the past, look forward to the future, and re-center themselves in the present.
A Time Capsule Built for Now
CHILLER, one of the album’s title tracks, is an experimental track that pulls from three decades of pop history. It glides between ‘70s disco, ‘80s synth-pop, and ‘90s R&B while sounding both modern and futuristic. Its genre blending avoids feeling chaotic thanks to slick production and the members’ strong vocals.
The song’s lyrics are about enjoying the present moment no matter what timeline you’re traveling to.
“This is how we do (What are you stressing about?)
This juice got me tipsy (Just say what you want)
Got free rein, go footloose
So time’s on my side
Jam, jam, everyone’s moon-walking like Michael
Come on, dance, dance…”
“Nowhere, nowhence, I’m that chiller
Cutting through chaos, it’s a thriller
Look close, look close, closely, I’m that stunner
Cool out, don’t panic
Like a twist in the drama, chill out
Throw out all the boring stuff
Ge-ge-get your hands up (Hands up)
Cool out, don’t panic”
The lyrics make many references to Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the 80s film Footloose. Thriller and Footloose are considered classics that continue to influence new generations of directors, actors, singers, dancers, etc. It’s a subtle reminder of how something from the past can still be relevant in the present and can even shape the future.
A Music Video That Loops Through Reality
To fully appreciate CHILLER, you’ve got to look at where it fits in the Go Back To The Future storyline. In BTTF, NCT DREAM finds themselves in a reality where they no longer exist. They travel back in time and reunite with their past selves, restoring their original timeline.
CHILLER, on the other hand, feels more relaxed. It’s both the prequel and sequel to BTTF, when the members rediscover not just who they were, but who they are now.
CHILLER has the members of NCT DREAM arrive in a retro-futuristic timeline where they’re all rendered as virtual avatars. Their world feels both digitized and analog, like an old arcade game glitched out by modern AI. The video feels very cyclical which ties into the album’s theme of go back and forth between the past, present and future.
The Present Is All We’ve Got
The message CHILLER can’t stress enough is how important it is to focus on the here and now, despite its time traveling theme. A lot of people are stressed about their future and find themselves longing for a simpler, less frightening time in their lives.
Go Back To The Future reminds us that no matter what timeline you’re in, the present moment is still the most powerful one. By embracing where we are, not just where we’ve been or where we’re going, we unlock the ability to create the future we want.
