Why You Should Stan NCT

SM Entertainment's youngest (and unconventionally conceptualized) boy group NCT is probably the most ambitious thing SM has done in quite some time. As someone who started off thinking that I wouldn't like groups larger than seven members (BTS), it was very surprising that I found myself really loving this eighteen-member (and growing) group. Here are some reasons why you should stan NCT:

1. They're incredibly diverse.
With members hailing from all parts of the globe (members come from China, Canada, USA, Thailand, and Japan), NCT truly has a global concept in mind. Members Ten (from Thailand) and Yuta (from Japan) hold the distinction for being the first SM idols of their nationality to debut in an SM group. You can imagine the number of languages the group speaks fluently. There's Korean, English, Mandarin, Japanese, and Thai. Truly the most multilingual group in K-pop right now.

2. Taeyong and Mark single-handedly saved SM's infamous reputation for having terrible rappers.
SM, while known for debuting incredibly well-trained groups with strong dancers and vocalists, lacks quite a lot in having decent rappers in their groups. Then came Taeyong and Mark, who have been SM's saving grace in executing NCT's aggressive hip-hop image in their NCT U and NCT 127 songs. Taeyong and Mark are SM's best rappers by a long-shot. Both have a very natural flow to their delivery, and they have incredible presence as rappers.

Mark (left) and Taeyong (right)

3. They are involved in writing lyrics.
Taeyong and Mark are currently the only two members who write frequently for the group (member Jaehyun once contributed to NCT 127's debut song "Fire Truck") and have been since their debut. I find that impressive, considering SM is not known for taking advantage in-house talent to churn out great songs in general, and especially considering the fact that I've never seen an SM group be involved in self-producing as such a young group.

4. Their dancers are no joke.
Members Ten, Taeyong, and Jisung are given "main dancer" roles in the NCT units they partake in, and the title is well-deserved. Ten is acknowledged by both fans and professional dancers alike to be one of the best active K-pop dancers in general. But pretty much everyone in the group can dance incredibly well. NCT dances are more often than not incredibly challenging. The fact that they can pull it off so well is satisfying to watch and makes you want to blink in shock.

5. Their music appeals to a wide-range of tastes.
Because of their unit system, in which members are split into largely-independent sub-units within the larger NCT umbrella and focus on certain concepts, NCT discography as a whole pretty much satisfies every music taste. Like experimental, hard hip-hop influences in your music? Look no further than NCT 127. Like a more polished, equally-experimental track? How about NCT U's "The 7th Sense", or "Boss"? Like some straightforward, bubblegum pop? NCT Dream in a nutshell. Looking for vocal-emphasized tracks? Check out NCT songs such as "Timeless", "Without You", "Sun & Moon", or any other song that features NCT 127's vocalists. Personally, I find NCT U to have the most consistently-great catalog. With only a handful of tracks ("The 7th Sense", "Without You", "Timeless", "Boss", "Baby Don't Stop", and "Yestoday") to their name, NCT U has some of the most diverse tracks of any unit (their whole concept, by the way, is to release tracks that explore various genres and themes), and they're all really, really good.

6. They have great personalities.
Partly due to their more junior role in the K-pop industry, and partly due to the fact that they are just nice people, NCT members are all emerging idols in the industry that deserve more attention for their fun and respectful personalities as opposed to their looks.

7. Their vocalists are underappreciated.
With their concept focusing so much on experimental hip-hop sounds, it's no surprise (but disappointing nonetheless) that NCT vocalists have to take a backseat on their main tracks. Even knowing that SM has been consistent on giving us great vocalists throughout their history of being involved in the idol-making process, I was still surprised by how talented NCT's vocalists are. There's powerhouse (and incredibly stable) vocalists Taeil, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Haechan, and Chenle, but there's also Ten (whose vocals in "Baby Don't Stop" are a god-send), Johnny, Yuta, and Renjun. Even rappers Taeyong and Mark are surprisingly good singers.

Vocalists Doyoung (left), Jaehyun (middle), and Taeil (right)

8. Their concept is not that confusing, so stop lying to yourself.
Basically every time a person says they don't like NCT, the reason they give is because their unit system is "confusing", which is a bunch of BS. Yeah, they're going to add members, and there are multiple groups within NCT, but once you accept that they're trying to be different from any other K-pop idol group, then it's not hard to learn about how NCT works. Even with so many members, I find learning about the NCT members incredibly easy, considering that members are usually split up into their different units. Plus, it's not like learning about each unit requires learning a new set of faces and names: there are a handful of members in more than one unit, so there is overlap to the NCT system that makes it even less confusing.

9. They have some truly great songs.
I'm talking about legendary, constant-replay value type of songs. There's NCT U's entire discography (standouts are "The 7th Sense", "Without You", "Boss", "Baby Don't Stop", and "Yestoday"); "Limitless", "Touch", "Back 2 U", "Summer 127", and "0 Mile" from NCT 127; and "My First and Last", "We Young", "My Page", and "Go" from NCT Dream. They're also not all about love, something quite refreshing in K-pop. "The 7th Sense" is incredibly ambiguous and open to interpretation (lyrics discuss feeling trapped in dreams and feeling lost); "Yestoday" is an incredibly personal song for members Taeyong and Mark (who both contributed lyrics to the song) that touch on past regrets and the pains of being an idol, "My Page" touches on the NCT Dream's members' worries and fears as young idols, and NCT Dream's "Go" is a sharp critique of the complicity of society while also being an anthem for teenage rebelliousness. Quite a lot of NCT songs touch on dreams in some way, and it really brings into perspective that even with their ambitious concept, NCT are really just regular people with big dreams that are slowly starting to see those dreams become reality.

A Review of NCT 2018 Empathy Album

I tried to make a post explaining why I like SM Entertainment's newest boy group NCT, but it just got really long, really redundant, and did a poor job of actually explaining anything well. So, I've decided to instead review their newest release, NCT 2018 Empathy, their first full-length studio album.

Fans (myself included) were a bit disappointed that the album consisted of pretty old tracks, but even though the album lacks any new content, it still sits as a very solid package. Let's dive into the album track-by-track.

1. Intro: Neo Got My Back
Recently, K-pop has been exploring with the concepts of intros and outros (i.e. BTS and Seventeen) in their albums, and I think they've done a pretty good job so far. Since K-pop albums are already pretty concept-heavy, it would make sense to set the scene for the album through an intro. This track is a bit... weird. I like it, for some reason, and you can hear the track as the background music for NCT 2018's yearbook video:

The track features NCT 127 leader Taeyong's vocals, and given that the group name stands for "Neo Culture Technology", the sound of the track is fitting. Fully relying on synths, it's moody, intriguing, and kind of catchy.

2. Boss
Performed by rotational unit NCT U, the "Boss" line-up features familiars Taeyong, Mark, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Winwin while debuting new members Jungwoo and Lucas. The first pre-release track for the album's comeback, the song and music video certainly made a statement about the kind of sonic and visual aesthetic NCT 2018 was aiming for this year. I like the song, and it's a nice full-length track to introduce listeners to NCT. It's a bit of an earworm in the most surprising way.

3. Baby Don't Stop

I really love this song. I feel like this is the kind of song that NCT has always been aiming for with every track they've released, and they finally hit the mark. Performed by the group's best dancers Taeyong and Ten, the song is playful, subversive, and stunning. It doesn't take itself too seriously with its whispered chorus, Ten's smooth, higher-pitched vocals, and Taeyong's gravelly voice and bullet-quick flow (and surprising vocals). Coming straight after "Boss", the album continues with a similar-sounding bass backtrack before Ten's singing (the true standout of the track) quickly shapes the song into something completely different and, dare I say, better. And even though I should only be judging the song, the music video is a must-watch. The duo don't delve into high-level theatrics for the video. Instead, the camera is transfixed on their dancing, which is an exhilarating experience. People might want to discredit Ten and Taeyong as idols with their strong visuals as the only reason for their popularity, but it's hard to deny the magnetism of this deceivingly simple choreography. Ten and Taeyong complement each other perfectly, as if the two are extensions of each other in the way they move together, but also neither overwhelms the other, letting the other dancer show off their individual flair in the execution of the moves that creates something truly magical. It's as if the choreography was made for them, and only they can pull it off. If I had to choose a favorite track off this album, I think this (and another track) would take the cake.

4. Go

Performed by NCT Dream (members in descending age are Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung), the group's unit consisting of its teenage members (who have been known for putting out its cutest concepts), the song is a bit of surprise if you've been a fan for some time. Whether SM decides they want to continue with Dream's more mature sound or not, the song is epitome of teen angst, with deep meanings about anti-conformity and navigating the dark waters of teenage rebellion. I didn't like it upon first listen, but it's grown on me. If anything, SM is known for putting out catchy songs. The music video features the sprawling dark underbellies of L.A., focusing on the less-walked, more grounded areas of the city that fit with the song's concept.

5. Touch
Just when you think NCT 2018 was going to go full on aggressive with their concept for this album, especially given cutesy Dream was sounding like a NCT 127 song, the unit (containing leader Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, WinWin, Mark, and Haechan) known for tracks such as "Limitless" and "Cherry Bomb" come out with "Touch" with this comeback. Needless to say, it's a bit of a surprise:

I really like this song. While following a very basic pop structure, the song is interesting enough to keep you intrigued, though the verses are largely forgettable. It's fruitless to expect S.M. will make NCT 127's line distribution more fair, but it's still something to point out, given that members Yuta and Johnny are given the small opportunity to showcase their vocals in this song, and that only leaves me wanting more from them. 

6. Yestoday
This song is surprising for how raw it is, and I love how well this song captures the essence of the album. Featuring NCT U again, it strips back any bells and whistles and focuses on rappers Taeyong, Mark, and Lucas as well as main vocalist Doyoung, who acts as the narrator of sorts in the song while Taeyong, Mark, and Lucas take the time to reveal some pretty personal lyrics about pain, loss, and identity. Given that NCT is under S.M., it is refreshing to see that the company has allowed Taeyong and Mark to contribute to their group's discography and allow them to reveal a very vulnerable side of themselves. It's evident that the song is appealing to listeners to empathize with the members, and I think this will be known as one of NCT's best songs.

7. Black on Black
This is really a performance track, meaning there really isn't much going on in the song, but makes for a great dance performance to witness. The dance features all 18 members in perfect sync, providing a display of power. The track isn't bad, but it needs support from the dance to really live properly. Once you witness the live performance, however, you can't help but envision it every time to listen to this song. It's that powerful of an impression, and I think makes a very confident statement about the type of group NCT plans to be in the future.

8. Timeless
I always feel like SM doesn't know how to properly utilize their strong vocalists in NCT, so it's always a relief to hear NCT U's vocalists Taeil, Doyoung, and Jaehyun getting a track to just let them shine. Originally an OST for a Korean TV drama, the song is nevertheless really good. Taeil and Doyoung never disappoint with their strong vocals (seriously, I feel like K-pop in general always takes for granted how many talented vocalists they have), and Jaehyun's unique voice fits very well along with the older members. It's a nice track to signal the second half of the album, which consists of either old tracks or B-sides (basically, songs that won't get promoted).

9. The 7th Sense
People were introduced to NCT through NCT U's debut. This song made a strong statement about the kind of experimental direction NCT plans to follow. It is a strong debut track, so I guess it warrants to be featured on NCT 2018's album as the group evolves and expands in new directions.

10. Without U
This song was released as a double feature for NCT U's debut, and it could not be any more different stylistically from "The 7th Sense". I personally like this song better, mainly because I love the combination of Taeil, Doyoung, and Jaehyun's vocals. I thought it would be a ballad, but it's actually low-key my jam.

11. Without U - Chinese Version
So I guess this is member Kun's "debut", or something... SM, just let the guy debut properly.

12. Dream In a Dream
This is also an old track, released as a solo project for member Ten a year ago. It's really instrumental, but I really like the production on this track, and Ten's vocals in this song would foreshadow his comeback in "Baby Don't Stop", which is one of the reasons why I love that track so much. Ten, who has been trapped by SM and unable to reach his full potential, performs the intricate and complicated choreography with grace and ease.

13. Outro: Vision
This track is a bit... confusing. It sounds like some sort of standard, orchestral track and then some guy says some sort of cringey "I see... the vision" line at the end before a fade out. The Chinese members of NCT have said on the record that the track is to hint at something NCT-related, and since only the Chinese members have talked about the track, I think this song is some sort of hint for the rumored NCT China unit, which is why I'm going to give this otherwise weird track a free pass, because I am very much looking forward to the debut of NCT China.

14. Yestoday (Extended Version) (Bonus Track)
This might be my favorite track off the album. Usually bonus tracks are throwaway tracks, meant to seem like they're exclusive offers to certain listeners (in this case, digital streamers) but aren't as good as the rest of the album. I'd beg to differ. I think the extended version of "Yestoday" is better, only because it peels back another layer of Taeyong's psyche and provides a more intimate understanding of the kind of person he is. "Yestoday (Extended Version)" is much looser and almost sounds like a stream of consciousness, given it a rougher edge that makes it more compelling. I commend NCT and SM for allowing fans to show a side of themselves that breaks away from SM's notoriously manufactured-idol, plastic image, and I think it's probably the best decision they can make as NCT is garnering global recognition. Surprisingly, SM used this track as the music video version. The music video provides an old-school, casual, dreamy aesthetic that fits with the jazzy and introspective sonic landscape of the track (I am also trash for a one-take, tracking shot, and this video does not disappoint):