To See the Next Part of the Dream is the second studio album by the South Korean musician Parannoul, released independently on 23 February 2021, and later that same year through Longinus Recordings and Poclanos.
The lyrics relate to Parannoul's depression and struggles, and the record contains references to 2000s culture, especially Japanese media.
[3] In an interview, he said: "[i]f my acquaintance listens to my song[s], I might commit suicide because of embarrassment";[3] with Pitchfork, he said he was too shy to reveal information about himself or even tell his parents that he makes music.
[3] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork felt some of tracks contained elements of house music, twee punk, and krautrock,[4] while IZM's Kim Seong-wook wrote that the album embraces post-rock and emocore.
[17] Eli Enis of Stereogum said that the album "unleash[es] a downpour of lo-fi shoegaze" and, in retrospect, compared its low-quality computerized sound to the "artificial rumble" present in songs by Jane Remover, quannnic, and flyingfish.
[10] Arielle Gordon wrote to the same magazine that, while the album feels out of touch with contemporary rock, it's not "passé" but rather evoking of "the nostalgic innocence of early '00s emo".
[9] Pitchfork's Jillian Mapes found the album inspired by M83's Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (2003).
[10] Paste's Lizzie Manno felt that the record contained "starry-eyed", dense soundscapes, and that it was uncommon for "songs [to burst] with that much rawness and life".
[18] Joon Hwan Jang of IZM noted that the album actively incorporated "heightened fuzz effects [and] raw sound resulting from poor recording conditions".
[9] Cohen felt that the lyrics expressed that the future or the present doesn't have happiness, and the only feeling that remains is of bittersweetness regarding memories of the youth.
[18][15] Grant Sharples of Consequence of Sound wrote that the album "is a masterful work in its genre" and "a bona fide Bandcamp gem in every sense of the phrase".
[2] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork described the music as bold and attractive, skillfully capturing the essence of an "uncanny familiar" sound that "feels like a dream", and concluded his review by stating: "If Parannoul aspires solely to be remembered and not to be adored, [he] might not have much of a choice for long".
[13] Conor Lochrie of Our Culture Mag wrote that "[e]ach resounding instrumental builds to a feverish conclusion, offering the listener catharsis" and an indescribable "hazy dream of a record".
[16] Peter Helman wrote to Stereogum that the record has "sheer unmistakable quality" and concluded: "Occasionally redlining into the stratosphere, there's a vulnerable charm to Parannoul's music that's only enhanced by the fuzzy limitations of its homespun origins.
"[24] Jang said that due to the song's long runtimes, the listener could be fatigued, but concluded that "the mere fact that [Parannoul] created a space where forgotten purity, individual excitement, and thrill can be reminisced upon imbues this unknown artist's created chromatic reverie with undeniable value.