By Violet Feuchter
After two years of absence, K-Pop group NCT 127 have released their long-awaited 7th album, Blingy. Since the release of their last album Walk in 2024, the group has gone through major changes. Two members have left the group for good, including disgraced former member Moon Taeil, who was jailed for rape in August of 2024, and former main rapper Mark Lee, who left in April of 2026 after deciding not to renew his contract with SM Entertainment.
Additionally, current members Doyoung and Jungwoo are absent from group activities until 2027 while completing their required military service. This leaves only five members in their latest comeback. However, they manage to make up for their missing members by incorporating Doyoung and Jungwoo vocals into the track “127 Million Miles”. Blingy is described as a blend of K-Pop and Hip-hop, with a few influences from EDM and Pop-Rock. This album manages to capture their signature ‘Neo’ sound, which tends to be more experimental. In spite of that, some tracks including, “Day After Day” and “Getaway” pull inspiration from Indie Pop, creating a few ballad tracks on the album. This expansive difference throughout each song proves who NCT 127 is and represents their group identity.
Throughout this release, I find that only a few songs miss the mark. The songs that seem to fall flat are “IKR” and “Step Up.” The 5th track on the album, “IKR” has the most experimental and interesting beat I’ve heard in a while. The beat sounds like it’s straight from 2018 K-Pop, because it includes synthesizer sounds that create a funky, never-heard-before beat. However, it should’ve stayed as never-heard-before. The production on this song is so experimental to the point where it becomes unpleasant. I understand that this is their style, but that also means that they can do better, because we’ve seen them do it before. Additionally, the lyricism is very lackluster. The lyrics harp on rejecting others’ social rules and focusing on trusting your own beliefs. In theory, the lyrics have a deep meaning and encourage the listener to be their own person. However, the actual lyrics are boring and very repetitive. Combined with its funky beat, it doesn’t really tell the story that it’s intended to tell. This song should’ve gone through a few more revisions before release.
The other track, “Step Up” falls short in the same way as “IKR.” The instrumental on this track is much stronger, reminding me of an old-school arcade game, and while I like the production, the lyrics are once again, boring. Throughout the song, they repeat the title “Step Up” over forty five times, and don’t get it twisted, a chorus where the title is repeated isn’t always boring. For example, their most popular track, “Kick It” has a repetitive chorus, but the production on that song makes up for its repetitiveness as it is much more powerful than on “Step Up.” Additionally, due to this being their 10 year anniversary album, I expected both songs to be a bit stronger.
Despite these specific songs falling short, NCT 127 still managed to create a stellar album. The title track “Blingy” is unapologetically ‘Neo.’ Which, according to fans, means to be unapologetically experimental and push the boundaries of what K-Pop is. Since debut, NCT 127 has incorporated their personal ‘Neo’ style into every comeback and introduced a different sound into the K-Pop genre. Blingy is no exception to this. Specifically the title track, as it includes EDM, Rock, and Hip-Hop elements to produce an experimental and ‘Neo’ vibe. This album is truly a hit and deserves to be appreciated by a larger audience. The production, choreography, and writing form a compelling album to celebrate 10 years of NCT. This album is proof of their identity, struggle and hard work. NCT 127 has managed to release another outstanding record, even through all of the hardships they’ve gone through since 2024. They showed that they are here to stay, no matter what happens to them.
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