This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(October 2021) |
Neo Zone | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 6, 2020 [1] [2] | |||
Recorded | 2017–2020 | |||
Studio | SM (Seoul) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 45:46 | |||
Language |
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Label | ||||
Producer |
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NCT 127 chronology | ||||
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NCT chronology | ||||
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Singles from Neo Zone | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from Neo Zone:The Final Round | ||||
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Neo Zone (also known as NCT #127:Neo Zone) is the second Korean studio album (third overall) by the South Korean boy band NCT 127. Preceded by the music video release for "Dreams Come True" on NCT 127 Day,January 27 (1/27),the 13-track album was released through SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group on March 6,2020. [3] Neo Zone contains various musical genres from hip hop,R&B,funk,to electro-pop,which aimed to create a soundscape that broadened the group's sonic vision. [4] The repackaged version of the album,titled NCT No. 127 Neo Zone:The Final Round,was released on May 19,2020. [5] [6]
Several music critics noted the album's strong 1990s hip hop and R&B influences and the experimentation with various sounds. The album was commercially successful,becoming their fifth chart-topper on the Gaon Album Chart while earning the group their first top-five entry on the Billboard 200 chart,with first week sales of 87,000 album-equivalent units. As of April 2020,the album had sold over 805,000 copies in South Korea,becoming the group's first release to receive a multi-Platinum KMCA certification. The repackage gave the group their sixth number one title on the Gaon Album Chart,and rose cumulative sales of the record to over 1.2 million copies.
Three singles were released from Neo Zone:including the pre-released "Dreams Come True",the lead single "Kick It",and the repackaged album's single "Punch". To promote the album,the group performed on South Korean music programs including Music Bank,Show! Music Core and Inkigayo,while becoming the first K-pop act to perform at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo . The group originally planned to embark on their first U.S. arena tour;titled "Neo City –The Awards" from June 6,2020,but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
After wrapping up promotion activities in the United States by the end of November 2019,SM Entertainment uploaded a music video for "Dreams Come True" onto the group's official channel,along with the release announcement for NCT #127:Neo Zone on January 27,2020. [7] [8] The label further confirmed that member Jungwoo would re-join and participate in the group's promotion activities following his initial hiatus from August 2019. [3] [9] [10] This marked Neo Zone their first release since Neo City:Seoul –The Origin in October 2019,their first original release since We Are Superhuman in May 2019 and their second full-length album,following Regular-Irregular and its repackage in late 2018.
On February 12,the group released a 90's-influenced "timeline" video for the album on all social media platforms of the group,including a release schedule and announcing "영웅/ 英雄(Kick It)" as the lead single. [11] [12] It was then followed by several track videos previewing other songs from the album. before the music video teaser for "Kick It" was uploaded on the official SMTown channel on March 3,2020. [13] The album was eventually released both physically and digitally on March 6,2020,with two different versions N,C,and different album covers. [14] [15] The T version was released later on March 20,2020,while the Kihno version was released on March 27,2020. [16] [17] With the exception of the album's interlude,the remaining album tracks of Neo Zone were uploaded fully onto the group's official channel,thus making it the group's first release to do so.
Following the commercial success of Neo Zone in March 2020. SM Entertainment announced on April 7 that a repackage version of the album,titled NCT #127 Neo Zone:The Final Round would be released sometimes in May 2020. [5] The release date was later confirmed to be on May 19,2020,with four new tracks including the third single,titled "Punch". [6] The first image teasers of the repackage edition,which contains a similar release schedule like the original release,was revealed on NCT 127's official Twitter account. [18] A 22-second music video teaser for "Punch" was released onto the group's native label YouTube channel on May 17,2020,three days prior to its official premiere. [19] The album was eventually released in all formats on May 19,while the physical release date for United States was scheduled to be on June 12,2020,instead. The repackage is available in two versions,featuring a CD-R with all seventeen tracks,photo booklet and collectibles accordingly to the package artwork. [20] Similar to their previous release,three new songs from The Final Round was uploaded onto the group's official YouTube channel as well.
Recording process for the album took place at SM Studio,located in Seoul,South Korea. The production for Neo Zone however,started sometimes in early 2017 as American production team The Stereotypes had their own songwriting camp for SM Entertainment,not long after their work for Bruno Mars's 2016 studio album 24K Magic . Meanwhile,South Korean songwriter and producer Deez was seeking for something "new and fun",having worked on three other songs at the same time. He eventually reached out to the production team,looking for any unused track that "has the "That's What I Like"-vibe" among the demos they had for Mars' album. As the team played their demos on laptop,Deez eventually chose one that matched what he was looking. Together with songwriter Bianca "Blush" Atterberry,he managed to complete "Love Song",with the original demo was said to contain "more harmony" than the final version. The recording process for this track was,however,completed "in a very short time",though the producer said "Love Song" was "difficult to sing". After returning from a song session in the United States during sometimes in 2018,Deez participated in another SM songwriting camp,where he produced the uptempo track "Love Me Now" in "about four hours". Even though the song had a more pop-oriented sound,he used R&B elements to "build a more Pop-tic but a little unusual topline",with the result being "satisfying". With "Dreams Come True",the composers originally had NCT 127's 2018 single "Touch" in mind,with British production team LDN Noise creating a basic loop. Deez and songwriter Bobii Lewis then wrote additional arrangement;including piano and musical variations,bridge and main Moog lines to complete the track first. It was eventually a favorite from the A&R executives,and the first track to be recorded by the members. [4]
"I got inspiration from my own personal experiences and the overall atmosphere and subject of the song, and put those two together. And this time around, it was more of a team effort—rather than relying solely on my own creativity, I wrote my lyrics so they flowed well with Johnny and Mark's rhyming and flow. "
—Taeyong on the process of writing for the group's second full-length Korean album. [21]
For the lead single "Kick It", the group recalled having to record the hook up to late at night. According to producer Deez, the song was "revised and multiplied" for about a hundred times from end of December 2019 to early February 2020. Co-produced with American producer Dem Jointz and SM songwriter-producer Yoo Young-jin (whom worked with the group during their recording session), the song was originally prepared to "gird the loins" for "Cherry Bomb 2.0", with the outcome being "stronger" than the 2017 single. With the song's beat loop created by Abernathy, Deez constructed and composed the bridge and the dance break section with the idea of "maintaining" the "harmonic vocal color" and "extensively energetic" chord work, thus giving an R&B arrangement to bring out a "trendy and old-school" color to the song. Member Taeyong and Mark were said to have recorded their rap parts in one-take to their preferences, and proceeded to arrange all the qualified cuts later with the album's producers. As the album wrapped up its recording process, Deez was requested by the label to create an additional instrumental prelude, which he produced by using excerpts of "Kick It" to create an "oriental" interlude shortly before the album release in March. In addition to his initial composition contribution, Deez also took part as the vocal director for "White Night", a collaboration between American producer Harvey Mason Jr. (former member of The Underdogs), The Wildcardz production team and SM songwriter Kenzie. He further revealed that the recording session for the track was "quite long" due to the traditional R&B elements compared to the group's previous R&B works. [22] In addition to the usual lyrical contribution by Taeyong and Mark, member Johnny also took part in writing for two songs in the album, namely "Pandora's Box" and "Love Song" with his aforementioned two group members. [21]
Described as a "diversified selection" of mainly hip-hop and "slinky" R&B cuts with strong 1990s influence, the 13-track album also includes elements from funk, trap, noise-pop, metal, dance-pop and EDM music. [23] [24] The album opens with "Elevator (127F)", a "feel-good" midtempo dance number with funk elements and 90's R&B influence which is "refreshing" and "perfect" for an album opener, according to the members. [25] [4] It was proceeded by the album's lead single "Kick It", a "powerful" hip-hop dance record with heavy metal guitar riff and R&B elements throughout the song. [26] Produced by American producer Dem Jointz, South Korean songwriter Deez, Ryan S. Jhun, Mayila Jones and Rodnae "Chikk" Bell, with Yoo Young-jin took part in the song's arrangement, the song tells how the members overcome their own traumas and fears to become the "heroes" they are, thus fitting the Korean title of the song. [27] The third track "Boom" is a "half-dreamy and half-beat-driven" song that contains a "unique" melody change as the melody hook of the song starts. It was co-written and performed in demo by American singer and songwriter Bazzi, whom member Mark is a huge fan of. The album continues with "Pandora's Box", a "jazzy, slow-burning" 90's-influenced R&B track produced by producer Erik Lidbom. With lyrics co-written by member Taeyong, Mark and Johnny (whom participated in writing lyrics for the first time), the boy group channels their "endearing cheesiness" as they compare their love interest to that of a Pandora's box. [28] The fifth track "Day Dream" is described as a "mysterious, dream-like" track by the members, with "memorable" lyrics based on Alice in Wonderland while showcasing the group's "ethereal" vocals.
The next half of Neo Zone starts with "Interlude: Neo Zone", an instrumental interlude that makes listeners "imagine" a powerful and energetic performance according to member Jungwoo. Starting out with strings and piano instrument, the interlude slowly progresses with wind chime sound before turning into an EDM-trap groove, which suits the signature "NEO" sound of the group. It was followed by the Hitchhiker-assisted "Mad Dog", a "raucous" hip-hop banger performed by member Taeyong and Mark which contains metal riff and "brassy" trap breakdown with a key change at the second drop, accompanied with a "dreamy" bridge by member Taeil and Doyoung. "Sit Down" is described as a "thunderous", "rare strong song" and hailed as the most straight-up hip-hop moment of the album, with 90s R&B vibe included. Produced by high-profile producers such as Harvey Mason Jr. and Patrick "J. Que" Smith, its lyrics recite how the members refused to be "tied down" to any standard. The EDM-influenced "Love Me Now" is said to be a "concert banger" and a "great song" to perform at concert by member Yuta, while being compared to the group's previous tracks like "Replay (PM 01:27)" and "Switch". The tenth track "Love Song" is another R&B track which is "full of attitude and soul" by the members, as the chorus is performed together with ad-libs appeared throughout the entire song. Production for the track came from The Stereotypes and Deez, with the former being most known for their work with Bruno Mars while having previously worked with NCT 127 twice ("Back 2 U (AM 01:27)" and "City 127"). It was continued with "White Night", a "traditional" R&B ballad track which invokes "jazz piano-laden" soul influence which became a favorite of member Taeil. On "Not Alone", the members takes a "much more minimalistic" approach over a "tender, warm" trap-influenced synth-pop beat, where they embrace a hopeful message that "we are never alone." The final track "Dreams Come True" saw the group collaborate again with LDN Noise and Deez for a "classic, nostalgic" R&B throwback with jazzy piano melody that recalls both the visual and sonic aesthetics of '90s boy band R&B ballads. It was among the first songs the group recorded for their second album, and became a personal favorite of member Doyoung. [3]
Following the repackage confirmation by the group's home label on April 7, 2020, the title of four new additional songs to the original 13-track release were revealed: "Punch", "Non Stop", "Make Your Day" and "序曲; Prelude". The urban soul, Hip hop "Punch" describes the "dynamic beat that rings in boxers' ears" when they enter the boxing ring with "intense and unique" synths. Written by SM songwriter Kenzie (whom member Doyoung confirmed her participation through the group's official Twitter account) and co-produced by Dem Jointz, the song shares how the members overcome their "lonely moments" whenever they feel like "fighting obstacles alone". [29] [30] It is the lead single from The Final Round, and subsequently the third single overall from Neo Zone. She also contributed both lyrics and composition to the second track "Non Stop", a strong future bass-influenced track with synth sound and drum beats expressing how one "won't stop running" to reach for their love interest despite the hardships. Production team LDN Noise also took part in the song's arrangement, having previously worked with the group on "Dreams Come True". [31] "Make Your Day" is described as a jazzy, "warm pop ballad" which sees the member harmonize chorus together with strings, rich harmony and their soft voice over a warm piano melody. The song features the vocal from five members: Taeil, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Haechan. [32] The repackage album also sees the addition of "序曲; Prelude", an instrumental interlude precedes "Kick It" as the now-fourth track. According to producer Deez, the "oriental, ethnic" interlude is meant to "flow naturally" to "Kick It" as it goes along, sampling the main riff and the "na na na" harmonization during the dance break. The interlude was among the last additional work to be created before the initial release of Neo Zone, and was eventually performed live during the group's promotion cycle for "Kick It". [22]
Prior to the official release, the group revealed a '90s-influenced music video for "Dreams Come True" through their official YouTube channel on January 27, 2020 (which coincided with the group's 127 number). [33] The song eventually peaked at number one hundred ninety-six and number sixty on Gaon Digital Chart and Billboard K-Pop Hot 100, respectively. [34] [35] The music video for the second single "Kick It" was revealed two days prior to its digital release, which coincided with the album release). The song achieved an increasing digital performance comparing to the group's previous releases, peaking at number twenty-one on Gaon Digital Chart, number nine and three on the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 and World Digital Songs, respectively. [36] [37] The song also became the group's second appearance on the New Zealand Hot 40 Singles chart, and third on the Japan Hot 100 chart; peaking at number thirty-eight and eighty-four respectively. [38]
Following the repackage confirmation by SM Entertainment on April 7, the group announced that "Punch" would be the lead single for the re-release edition. In continuation to the group's rising success, the single became their first top five entry on the Gaon Digital Chart, and their highest-charting release on the Japan Hot 100 since the release of their 2018 Japanese single "Chain." [39]
Promotion for the album started with the group's first performance for the then-unreleased "序曲; Prelude" and "Kick It" as NCT 127 The Stage through their official channel on March 5, 2020. [40] [41] A day later, NCT 127 had their first music show performance for the lead single on Music Bank , followed by their promotion on Show! Music Core and Inkigayo . [42] During the second promotion week on Music Bank and SBS Radio, the group performed the eleventh track "White Night". [43] [44] NCT 127 eventually earned their first Music Bank trophy for "Kick It" on March 27, 2020. [45] [46] NCT 127 then started promoting their third single "Punch" from May 22, 2020, with a live performance on Music Bank, with similar scheduled promotion on Show! Music Core and Inkigayo to that of "Kick It." [47] [48] They eventually won the first M Countdown trophy on May 28, 2020, despite not attending nor performing at the show. [49] The song has since achieved a total of four trophies, tying with "Regular" as their most winning title on such television music shows.
In continuation to their previous promotion activities in the United States, the group had their first gig on March 10 at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo , becoming the very first K-pop act to perform at the show. [50] [51] It was reported that they would embark on their first U.S. arena tour; titled "Neo City – The Awards", to promote Neo Zone starting from June 6 at New York City's Madison Square Garden, which was later postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown. [52] [53] [54] As announced earlier by their home label, NCT 127 had their scheduled live streaming Beyond Live concert on May 17, 2020, proceeding their fellow unit as the fourth headlining act. [55] The group also performed live "Punch" and the album track "Make Your Day" for the first time during their live streaming concert. [56]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Clash | 8/10 [57] |
Consequence of Sound | B+ [23] |
IZM | [58] |
Following its release, Neo Zone received positive reviews from music critics. Giving the album 3 stars out of 5, writer Im Sun-hwi of IZM noted that the diverse multi-genre release had a few hip-hop moments that "did not live up to expectations", but praised the lead single and the latter half of the album for its "refreshing" atmosphere and proved that the group's success with the album was "not a coincidence". [59] According to Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum of Consequence of Sound , the album presents the group at their best, as it "checks off all the boxes when it comes to playing to their strengths, which include vocal versatility, a diversified selection of hip-hop and R&B jams, and giving fans a fun, good time". [23] Writing for Clash , writer Debbie Aderinkomi complimented the album as an "assurement" to please the group's fandom and new fans alike, while noting "its blend and influence" from different genres like pop, R&B and rap despite any "lack of certain cohesion" impression, giving the group eight points out of ten. [60] In a Rolling Stone article by Tim Chan, the writer praised the album's ability to "seamlessly slide in and out of genres" and "experimenting" for making the group become a stand-out. [28] Vandana Pawa of Teen Vogue said that the group "feels more fully-evolved" and "more choosy" than ever, along with the confidence in their presentation through the release of Neo Zone, further indicated the boy band's broader vision for a "dynamic, passionate" presence. [25]
Billboard ranked Neo Zone as the 5th best K-pop album of 2020, while South China Morning Post included the repackage in their unranked list of the top 15 K-pop albums of the year. [61] MTV News included "Love Me Now" at number 17 in their list of best K-pop B-sides of 2020. [62]
The album debuted at number one on Gaon Album Chart for the week of March 7, 2020, becoming the group's fifth chart-topper and their second release to stay atop more than one week. [63] [64] Except for the album's interlude, the entire album tracks also charted on the Gaon Digital Chart, making Neo Zone the group's first release to do so. [65] It eventually became the top-selling album of March 2020 on Gaon Album Chart, with a cumulative sales of 748,000 copies from both the physical version and the Kihno version, which appeared independently at number eleven on the monthly chart. [66] Combined an additional sales of over 59,000 copies (counting both the standard and Kihno version) in April 2020, the album has since achieved a cumulative sales of over 807,000 copies, thus granting NCT 127 their first album to qualify for a multi-Platinum KMCA certification. [67] [68] Upon its re-release under the name The Final Round, the album spent a third week atop the chart, and was the second best-selling release of May 2020 on the monthly chart of Gaon Album Chart with 409,620 copies sold. It was also certified Platinum by KCMA, earning NCT 127 their fourth Platinum-certified release. With the repackage edition's sales combined, Neo Zone became the first million-seller album for NCT 127 in South Korea, having sold over 1,2 million copies as of May 2020. [69]
The album also attained international success. By debuting at number five on the US Billboard 200 with 87,000 album-equivalent units (including 83,000 pure album sales), Neo Zone surpassed the eleventh-peaked We Are Superhuman to become the group's first top five entry, earning them their best sales week to date, and subsequently their longest chart performance on the chart to date. Following the release of The Final Round, the album re-entered the chart at number fourteen on the week of June 27, 2020, before descending to number forty the following week. [70] [71] Additionally, Neo Zone was the eighth best-selling physical release in the States as of June 2020, having sold an estimated total of 196,000 copies. [72] It also became the group's third chart-topper on the Billboard World Albums chart following Limitless (2017) and We Are Superhuman (2019), and by far their longest topping reign on the chart with three weeks at number one position, upon its re-release. [73] It also appeared at number twenty-six and thirty-four on the Canadian Albums Chart and the Official UK Digital Album chart respectively, thus making it their highest peak position to date. [74] [75] The album also reached a peak of number three on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, having sold a total of 32,453 copies as of April 2020, while The Final Round reached number four upon its release in later May. [76] [77]
Credits adapted from Naver
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Elevator (127F)" |
|
| 3:29 | |
2. | "Kick It" (영웅;英雄;Yeong-ung;lit. Hero) |
|
|
| 3:53 |
3. | "Boom" (꿈;Kkum;lit. Dream) |
|
| 3:29 | |
4. | "Pandora's Box" (낮잠;Natjam;lit. Nap) |
| Lidbom | 4:09 | |
5. | "Day Dream" (Hanja: 白日夢; RR: Baegilmong) |
|
|
| 3:25 |
6. | "Interlude: Neo Zone" | Squar (Blur) | Squar (Blur) | 1:39 | |
7. | "Mad Dog" (뿔;Ppul;lit. Horn) (sung by Taeil, Doyoung, Mark and Taeyong) |
|
| Hitchhiker | 3:03 |
8. | "Sit Down!" |
|
|
| 3:20 |
9. | "Love Me Now" (메아리;Meari;lit. Echo) |
|
|
| 4:08 |
10. | "Love Song" (우산;Usan;lit. Umbrella) |
|
| 3:35 | |
11. | "White Night" (백야;Baegya) |
|
|
| 4:03 |
12. | "Not Alone" |
|
| 3:45 | |
13. | "Dreams Come True" |
|
|
| 3:45 |
Total length: | 45:46 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Punch" |
|
|
| 3:24 |
2. | "Non Stop" | 3:24 | |||
3. | "Prelude" (서곡;序曲;Seogok) | 1:45 | |||
4. | "Kick It" (영웅;英雄;Yeong-ung;lit. Hero) |
|
| 3:53 | |
5. | "Boom" (꿈;Kkum;lit. Dream) |
|
| 3:29 | |
6. | "Pandora's Box" (낮잠;Natjam;lit. Nap) |
| 4:09 | ||
7. | "Day Dream" (Hanja: 白日夢; RR: Baegilmong) |
|
|
| 3:25 |
8. | "Make Your Day" (너의 하루;Neoui Haru;lit. Your day) (sung by Taeil, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Haechan) |
|
| 3:35 | |
9. | "Interlude: Neo Zone" | SQUAR (Blur) | SQUAR (Blur) | 1:39 | |
10. | "Mad Dog" (뿔;Bbul;lit. Horn) (sung by Taeil, Doyoung, Mark and Taeyong) |
| 3:03 | ||
11. | "Sit Down!" |
|
|
| 3:20 |
12. | "Love Me Now" (메아리;Meari;lit. Echo) |
|
|
| 4:08 |
13. | "Love Song" (우산;Usan;lit. Umbrella) | 3:35 | |||
14. | "White Night" (백야;Baegya) |
|
|
| 4:03 |
15. | "Not Alone" |
|
| 3:45 | |
16. | "Dreams Come True" |
|
| 3:45 | |
17. | "Elevator (127F)" |
|
|
| 3:29 |
Total length: | 57:55 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position | |
---|---|---|
NZ | TFR | |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [80] | 100 | — |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [81] | 141 | — |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [82] | 26 | — |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [83] [84] | 15 | 15 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [76] [77] | 3 | 4 |
Japan Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [85] [86] | 14 | 21 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [87] | 82 | — |
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [88] | 10 | — |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [89] | 47 | — |
South Korean Albums (Gaon) [90] [91] | 1 | 1 |
UK Digital Albums (OCC) [92] | 34 | — |
US Billboard 200 [93] | 5 | 14 |
US Top Album Sales [94] | 1 | 1 |
US Independent Albums [95] | 2 | 2 |
US Tastemaker Albums [96] | 1 | 1 |
US World Albums ( Billboard ) [97] | 1 | 1 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position | |
---|---|---|
NZ | TFR | |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [98] [99] | 13 | 12 |
South Korean Albums (Gaon) [66] [100] | 1 | 2 |
Chart (2020) | Position | |
---|---|---|
NZ | TFR | |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [101] | 74 | — |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [102] | 69 | — |
South Korean Albums (Gaon) [103] | 8 | 14 |
US Billboard 200 [104] | 200 | — |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [105] | 20 | — |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
South Korea (KMCA) [106] | 3× Platinum | 750,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
South Korea (KMCA) [107] | 2× Platinum | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Song | Program | Date | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
"Punch" | M Countdown | May 28, 2020 | [49] |
June 4, 2020 | [108] | ||
Music Bank | May 29, 2020 | [109] | |
Show! Music Core | May 30, 2020 | [110] |
Region | Album | Date | label | Format(s) | Catalog | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | Neo Zone | March 6, 2020 | SM |
| — | [111] |
United States |
| CD (N & C Version) | SMCD227/8 | [112] | ||
South Korea |
| SMK1130 | [113] | |||
March 20, 2020 | CD (T Version) | SMK1132 | [114] | |||
March 27, 2020 | Kihno | SMKH045 | [16] | |||
United States | April 17, 2020 |
| CD (T Version) | SMCD229 | [115] | |
Various | Neo Zone: The Final Round | May 19, 2020 | SM |
| — | [116] |
South Korea |
| CD (1st & 2nd player Version) | SMK1149 | [117] | ||
United States | June 12, 2020 |
| SMCD230/1 | [118] | ||
South Korea | June 15, 2020 |
| Kihno | SMKH049 | [119] |
Glitch Mode is the second studio album by South Korean boy band NCT Dream, released on March 28, 2022, by SM Entertainment through Dreamus. Following their previous album Hot Sauce and its repackaged version Hello Future, Glitch Mode is NCT Dream's second record to feature seven members after Mark's return to the lineup and the termination of their age-based graduation system. The repackaged version of the album, Beatbox, features four new tracks, including the lead single of the same name, and was released on May 30.
NCT 127 is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on July 7, 2016, with their debut extended play NCT#127, with an original lineup of seven members: Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan. Doyoung and Johnny joined the unit in December 2016, ahead of their second EP Limitless, while Jungwoo, the final member, was introduced in September 2018 ahead of their first studio album Regular-Irregular. They are known for their experimental hip hop-based music, which they refer to as "neo music", as well as their vocal and rap abilities, choreographies, and performances.
NCT #127 is the first extended play by NCT 127, the multi-national and Seoul-based sub unit of the unlimited boy band NCT. Following its announcement on July 1, SM Entertainment released it on July 10, 2016, with physical release on July 11, 2016. A heavily hip-hop and EDM influenced release, NCT #127 had the participation of the production team LDN Noise, Tay Jasper, Ylva Dimberg, Chris Wahle, Andreas Öberg, Timothy 'Bos' Bullock, Adrian McKinnon, MZMC, The Colleagues, Double Dragon, and others for both lyrics and production, while SM's founder, Lee Soo-man, was the EP's executive producer. With this release, NCT 127 became the first sub-unit to receive a major release. It was also the first and, currently, the only release of the group as a septet.
Limitless is the second EP by NCT 127, the Seoul based sub-unit of South Korean boy band NCT. It marked their first album as a nine-member group, since the addition of Doyoung and Johnny in 2016. It was released on January 6, 2017 digitally and physically on January 9, by SM Entertainment.
Cherry Bomb is the third extended play by NCT 127, the Seoul-based sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT. It was released by SM Entertainment on June 14, 2017, and distributed by Genie Music. The EP includes a total of seven tracks.
NCT 2018 Empathy is the debut studio album by South Korean Boy band NCT, an unlimited group project under the management of SM Entertainment. Containing a total of fourteen tracks with twelve of which were released as singles from 2016 to 2018, the album marked the first group release with eighteen members from three different units participating at the time, while being the first release to officially introduce three new members Kun, Jungwoo and Lucas. With the group's label founder Lee Soo-man serving as the executive producer, composition and production for the album was contributed by Matt Schwartz, Tommy $trate, The Stereotypes, Timothy 'Bos' Bullock, Deez, Yoo Young-jin, Ryan S. Jhun, MZMC, Adrian McKinnon, Shin Hyuk, Josh Cumbee, Andrew Choi, Sara Forsberg, LDN Noise, and others. It was released on March 14, 2018, by SM Entertainment and iriver Inc along with the album's fourth single "Touch" by the Seoul-based unit NCT 127 and "Black on Black", the first single featuring all eighteen members of the group at that time.
"Touch" is a song recorded by the South Korean, Seoul-based unit NCT 127 for their parental unlimited boy band NCT's first studio album NCT 2018 Empathy (2018). Co-produced by production team LDN Noise, Deez and Adrian McKinnon with lyrics from Jo Yoon-kyung, Kim Min-ji and Shin Jin-hye, the '90s-imbued tropical house track was released digitally on March 14, 2018, as the fourth single from Empathy by SM Entertainment with iRIVER Inc as the distributor. An accompanying music video was premiered a day prior to both the single and the album's scheduled digital release. The song was later re-recorded and released as the first single from the unit's first Japanese studio album Awaken (2019) on September 16, 2018 by Avex Trax.
Chain is the debut Japanese extended play by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the multi-national and second sub-unit of NCT. The five-track extended play was released on May 23, 2018 by their Japanese record label Avex Trax. With SM Entertainment's founder Lee Soo-man serving as the executive producer, the record featured composition from production team Caesar & Loui, Kanata Okajima, 250, Albin Nordqvist, Kenzie, Mike Daley, MZMC, Harvey Mason Jr., J Que, Kevin Randolph, Mitchell Owens, Deez, Tay Jasper, Andrew Choi, MEG.ME and others. It was preceded by the Japanese version of "Limitless" as the first single on November 4, 2017, followed by the eponymous second single on May 8, 2018. To further promote the release, the group had their first showcase tour prior to its release.
Regular-Irregular is the first studio album by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the second sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT. Described as a multi-genre concept album with a total of eleven tracks, the album was released by SM Entertainment on October 12, 2018, and distributed by IRIVER. This marks NCT 127's first Korean major release after a year and four months since their previous EP, Cherry Bomb, released in June 2017. It is also their first release as a ten-member group after Jungwoo was added in September 2018. It is also the group's last release to date featuring member Winwin, as he would focus his promotions on WayV following the album's release.
South Korean boy band NCT 127 have released six studio albums, four reissues, three live albums, one single album, seven extended plays, and nineteen singles. To date, NCT 127 have earned ten number-one albums and two number-one singles in South Korea.
Awaken is the first full-length Japanese album by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the second multi-national sub-unit of NCT. Released by their Japanese label Avex Trax on April 17, 2019, the album was the second major release for the Japanese market from the group and their first to not feature Winwin, who was on a hiatus due to his participation in WayV's promotion. SM Entertainment's founder Lee Soo-man served as the album's executive producer, with lyrical and musical composition contributed by Andreas Öberg, Sebastian Thott, David Amber, Jung Youth, Tony Esterly, Jonny Shorr, LDN Noise, Deez, Adrian Mckinnon, Mike Daley, Yoo Young-jin, Harvey Mason Jr., Dem Jointz, MEG.ME and others. A hip-hop and R&B-heavily dominant record, Awaken contains songs corporating elements from pop and electronic music, performing in Japanese, Korean and English in order to "continue" the story from their first Japanese extended play Chain (2018).
We Are Superhuman is the fourth Korean extended play by South Korean boy band NCT 127. Originally confirmed concurrently during the release of their first Japanese studio album Awaken earlier in April 2019, it was released on May 24, 2019 by SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group. Adrian McKinnon, Tak, 1 Take, Social House, Vedo, Léon Paul Palmen, Jihad Rahmouni, Roel Donk, Sean Machum, Gaelen Whittemore, Michael Foster, Rykeyz, and others contributed both lyrics and production. Described as an electro-pop record with R&B influence, the extended play saw a "stylistic" shift from the unit's usual "experimental hip hop" direction to a "futuristic, funkier" approach.
We Boom is the third extended play of South Korean–Chinese boy band NCT Dream, the third and teen-aged sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT. Released by SM Entertainment and Dreamus digitally on July 26, 2019, and later physically three days later, the EP consists of six tracks, and is the first release of the unit to not contain any Mandarin version for the lead single. SM founder Lee Soo-man continued as the release's executive producer, while several songwriters and producers, such as Ryan S. Jhun, Yoo Young-jin, Sonny J Mason, Deez, Moonshine, Cazzi Opeia, Benjamin Ingrosso, Livvi Franc, Louis Schoorl, Bobii Lewis, Jamil `Digi` Christmas, MZMC, and others, contributed both lyrics and production to the extended play. It was the unit's first major release as a sextet, following the graduation of member Mark in December 2018.
Lee Tae-yong, known mononymously as Taeyong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT under SM Entertainment, having debuted in the group's first sub-unit, NCT U, in 2016 and becoming the leader of its second sub-unit, NCT 127, later that year. In 2019, he debuted as a member of the South Korean supergroup SuperM, a joint project under SM Entertainment and Capitol Records. As a songwriter, Taeyong has participated in writing over 40 songs in four languages, released mostly by NCT's various units and himself as a soloist. He made his official solo debut in June 2023 with his EP Shalala, making him the first soloist from NCT.
"Kick It" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band NCT 127. It was written by Wutan, Rick Bridges and Danke of Lalala Studio, composed by Dem Jointz, Deez, Mayila Jones, Rodnae "Chikk" Bell, Ryan S. Jhun and Yoo Young-jin, and arranged by Jointz, Deez and Yoo. Described as a "high-energy" song with "inspirational lyrics" that portrays the group's musical identity, it was released as the lead single from their second studio album Neo Zone on March 6, 2020 by SM Entertainment. An accompanying martial arts-themed music video premiered two days prior.
"Ridin'" is a song recorded by South Korean boy group NCT Dream for their fourth extended play Reload (2020). The song was released by SM Entertainment on April 29, 2020, as the album's lead single.
"Cherry Bomb" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the Seoul-based unit of boy group NCT, for their third eponymous extended play (2017) under SM Entertainment. The song was written by Jennifer Decilveo, Deepflow, Lim Jung-hyo, Oh Min-joo, Taeyong and Mark, whilst music composition was handled by numerous producers, including Dem Jointz, Deez, Michael Woods, Kevin White, Andrew Bazzi and MZMC. It has been described as a hardcore hip-hop track that contains a "colorful" composition, utilizing "complex synth and bass-infused" instrumentations. The accompanying music video premiered alongside the release of the single.
NCT 2020 Resonance is the second studio album by South Korean boy band NCT, an unlimited group project under the management of SM Entertainment. Similar to their previous release NCT 2018 Empathy, NCT 2020 Resonance is part of the "NCT 2020" project; which saw all current NCT members from several units collaborating on a full-length release. This time, the album features all 23 members from three current units of NCT; NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV, while introducing two new NCT members, namely Shotaro and Sungchan. It would also be the final NCT album to feature Lucas due to his hiatus and eventual departure in 2023. The first part was released on October 12, 2020, and the second part was then released on November 23, 2020.
Hot Sauce is the first studio album by South Korean boy band NCT Dream, the third sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT. It was released on May 10, 2021, through SM Entertainment. Following their previous EP, Reload, this album marks NCT Dream's first release to feature back as a seven-member unit following the return of Mark from the termination of the age-based graduation system that was operated in the group. Hot Sauce is one of the best-selling albums in South Korea.
Sticker is the third Korean-language and fourth overall studio album by South Korean boy band NCT 127. It was released on September 17, 2021, by SM Entertainment, distributed by Dreamus in South Korea and Virgin Music in United States. It follows their Japanese-language EP Loveholic, released in February 2021, and previous Korean-language studio album Neo Zone, released in March 2020. On October 25, the group released a repackaged version of Sticker, titled Favorite, which features three new tracks, including the lead single "Favorite (Vampire)".