The Code (EP)

Not to be confused with The Code (album) or Code (album).

The Code
EP by Monsta X
Released	November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
Recorded	2017
Genre	K-pop
Length	24:00
Language	Korean
Label	Starship LOEN
Monsta X chronology
The Clan Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter (2017) The Code (2017) The Connect: Dejavu (2018)
Singles from The Code
"Dramarama" Released: November 7, 2017

The Code is the fifth extended play by the South Korean boy group Monsta X. It was released by Starship Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment on November 7, 2017. It consists of seven tracks, including the title track "Dramarama".

Background and release

In October 2017, Monsta X announced the comeback through social media, with images of the seven members to tease the storyline for each member. ^{[1] [2]} The EP was released on November 7, with a music video released on the same day for the lead single "Dramarama". The group's comeback showcase was held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung District, Seoul on the same day of the comeback. ^[3]

The EP was released in two versions; DE:code and Protocol Terminal.

Critical reception

Taylor Glasby of Dazed described the music video of "Dramarama" was "intriguing and alluring not only in design and cinematography but because of its ambiguity in both context and subtext", and that the song possessed the same qualities with its ability to highlight the "individual signatures" of the group members. ^[4] Writing for Rolling Stone , Kim Jae-ha added that the song's "throbbing bass line, funky rhythms, and searing guitars" take "listeners on a wild ride" and that the song "shows off their fun side, reciting the title as a hypnotic incantation." ^[5]

Listicles

Name of critic or publication, name of listicle, name of work and rank

Critic/Publication	List	Work	Rank	Ref.
Song
Dazed	The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2017	"Dramarama"	10	[4]
Rolling Stone	The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music		74	[5]
Tone Glow	The 50 Best K-pop Songs of 2017		48	[6]

Commercial performance

As of 2022, the EP had sold over 170,000 units in South Korea. ^[7] It also peaked at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart. ^[8]

"Dramarama" debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart upon its release while the song "From Zero" debuted at number one in 2020. ^[9] "Dramarama"'s music show win on The Show on November 17 marked the group's first-ever weekly music show win. ^[10]

Track listing

The Code track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangements	Length
1.	"Dramarama"	Seo Ji-eum Seo Jung-a Jooheon I.M	Andreas Öberg Drew Ryan Scott	A-Dee Stereo 14	3:06
2.	"Now or Never"	별들의전쟁 (Galactika) Jooheon I.M	별들의전쟁 (Galactika)	별들의전쟁 (Galactika)	3:11
3.	"In Time"	Jooheon Ye-Yo!	Jooheon Ye-Yo!	Jooheon Ye-Yo!	3:08
4.	"From Zero"	Wonho Jooheon I.M Brother Su	Wonho Rich Jang Brother Su	Wonho Rich Jang	3:26
5.	"X"	Oh Min-ju Jooheon I.M	어벤전승	어벤전승	3:46
6.	"Tropical Night" (열대야)	Jooheon I.M Crucial Star	Crucial Star Kooky	Kooky	3:44
7.	"Deja Vu"	JQ (Makeumine Works) Kan Eun-yu Kim Hye-jung (Makeumine Works) Jooheon I.M Choi Ji-hye	Flow Blow, JJ Evans, Shin Hyuk	Flow Blow	3:36
Total length:					24:00

Charts

Album

Weekly charts Chart performance for The Code Chart (2017) Peak position French Download Albums (SNEP) [11] 120 Japan Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [12] 57 Japanese Albums (Oricon) [13] 16 South Korean Albums (Gaon) [8] 1 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [14] 12 US World Albums (Billboard) [15] 2

Monthly chart Chart performance for The Code Chart (2017) Peak position South Korean Albums (Gaon) [16] 4

Year-end chart Chart performance for The Code Chart (2017) Position South Korean Albums (Gaon) [17] 25

Songs

Weekly chart

Chart performance for "Dramarama" Chart (2017) Peak position US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) [9] 7

Chart performance for "From Zero" Chart (2020) Peak position US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) [9] 1

Sales

Region	Sales
South Korea (Gaon) [7]	175,902
Japan (Oricon) [18]	5,006

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominated work and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Golden Disc Awards	2018	Disc Daesang	The Code	Nominated	[19]
		Disc Bonsang		Won
Mnet Asian Music Awards	2018	Mwave Global Fans' Choice	"Dramarama"	Nominated	[20]

Release history

Release history and formats for The Code

Region	Date	Format	Label
South Korea	November 7, 2017	CD digital download streaming	Starship Entertainment LOEN Entertainment
Various		Digital download streaming

See also

• List of K-pop songs on the Billboard charts
• List of K-pop albums on the Billboard charts
• List of K-pop songs on the World Digital Song Sales chart
• List of Gaon Album Chart number ones of 2017

References

1. Kim, Eun-ji (March 12, 2018). '컴백' 몬스타엑스(MONSTA X), 개별 티저 이미지 공개…기대감 ↑ ['Comeback' MONSTA X releases individual teaser images... anticipation ↑]. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved March 12, 2018– via Naver.
2. Kim, Eun-yoo (November 2, 2017). 몬스타엑스(MONSTA X), 미니 앨범 '더 코드(THE CODE)' 스토리 이미지 공개!. News Free Zone (in Korean). Retrieved November 2, 2017.
3. Kim, Hwi-seon (November 7, 2017). [★포토]몬스타엑스, 'THE CODE'로 컴백 [[Photo] MONSTA X, comeback with 'THE CODE']. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved November 7, 2017– via Naver.
4. Glasby, Taylor (December 7, 2017). "The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2017". Dazed . Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
5. Kim, Jae-ha (July 20, 2023). "The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
6. "The 50 Best K-pop Songs of 2017". Tone Glow. February 28, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
7. Cumulative sales for The Code:
   • "2017년 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
   • "Album Chart 2018.03 Month". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
   • 2019년 12월 Album Chart [December 2019 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
   • "Album Chart 2022.02 Month". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
   • "Album Chart 2022 Weeks 51". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
8. "Album Chart 2017 Weeks 51". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
9. "Monsta X Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
10. Shin, A-ram (November 15, 2017). 몬스타엑스(MONSTA X), 데뷔 후 첫 1위…‘꽃길 시작’. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved November 15, 2017.
11. "Top Albums Téléchargés". SNEP (in French). Retrieved November 11, 2017.
12. Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2017/11/20 公開. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 20, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
13. 週間 アルバムランキング - 2017年11月27日付. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
14. "Monsta X Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
15. "Monsta X Chart History: World Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
16. "Album Chart 2017.11 Month". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2025.
17. 2017년 Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
18. • 週間 CDアルバムランキング - 2017年11月06日～2017年11月12日 [Weekly CD Album Ranking from November 6, 2017 to November 12, 2017]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
    • 週間 CDアルバムランキング - 2017年11月13日～2017年11月19日 [Weekly CD Album Ranking from November 13, 2017 to November 19, 2017]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
19. Mathew, Ilin (January 10, 2018). "Golden Disc Awards 2018: BTS, IU bag grand prize; Complete winners list". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
20. "2018 MAMA Winners". Mwave. Retrieved December 20, 2018.