An American Review: NCT#127 ‘LIMITLESS’ Album Review

Sarah Smith

January 6, 2017

This was an exciting time for NCT fans, for they debuted two new members for this comeback! Johnny and Doyoung have been on fan radars for a while now, having been teased in pre-debut videos with the NCT crew. Not only did they get to shine in this comeback, but NCT 127 have brought another amazing mini-album for fans to enjoy. The mini-album titled LIMITLESS is the group’s second mini-album, after their first dropped in July of 2016. This six track mini album holds true to that signature NCT sound that SM Entertainment has worked hard to secure, giving fans a mix of dance and hip hop in each song.

The first song on the album is their comeback single ‘LIMITLESS‘. This song gives a throwback feel to their debut song ‘Fire Truck‘. Instead of being rap heavy with a club vibe, this song has a subtle club feel with very strong vocal work. The song shows their maturity as singers, giving a beautifully harmonized chorus for fans to enjoy. The song also sounds a bit retro, fitting perfectly with the 90’s hip hop vibe in the music video. SM Entertainment has been on a roll with retro comebacks, from Red Velvet to SHINee, NCT 127 now join the list with label mates for making retro throwbacks.

The second song on the album is ‘Good Thing‘. I’m curious if the producer/mixer on this song also mixed the Exo sub-unit’s Exo-CBX ‘Hey Mama!‘.  The songs don’t sound alike, but do have that finger snapping vibe to them. This is my favorite song off the album, and the live performance of it transcends the ‘Good Thing’ vibe the song gives off. This is another retro song for the group, giving it a neo-60’s doo-wop vibe. NCT 127 is really good at the throwback genre, and I believe this is their signature sound.

Slowing it down for the third song, ‘Back 2 U (AM 01:27)‘ is more of an uptempo ballad. Again, the vocal game is strong in this song, making me give huge props to the production team for this mix. It was no secret that the members of this group were talented, but having solid proof of their singing abilities solidifies their talent as a rookie group. It’s a nice transition from a hip-hop look, to a group who can all sing equally well. This song too has a throwback feel, giving all of the 2000’s people a nostalgic feeling.

롤러코스터 (Heartbreaker) is the fourth track on the album, and is also another slower song. With more of a dance vibe than the previous song, this would be a good choice for a second music video off this album. It’s not as retro as the other tracks, but also gives them the ability to show off their dance skills while being vocally strong. The body rolls naturally happen when listened to, and it’s a fun song to dance to.

Demonstrating their strong rapping skills, ‘Baby Don’t Like It (나쁜 짓)‘ is fifth on the track listing. It has a smooth sound, and makes one sway to the music. This also has a 90’s vibe, with a mix of NKOTB and Boyz II Men. Overall it’s a good song, and would make another fun music video for the group to make. There are lots of possibilities with this, and could even offer the group a chance at acting through the theme of the song.

The last song on the album is titled ‘Angel‘. This is a different sound compared to the rest of the album. The strong acoustic guitar and rapping, mix together to bring an interesting combination that works well together. Having more of a classical sway to it, ‘Angel’ has a Spanish sounding influence behind it. This is the closest definition to a true ballad on their album. It has a nice tone to it, and also shows more of their amazing harmonies.

Overall this album is a high recommendation to listen to. Compared to their first mini-album, they have matured a lot. They focused less on attention grabbing trends in K-Pop, and focused more on the talent the group has to offer. Whether this new transition for the group happened when the two new members were added, or as an attempt to show more vocals, whatever the reason it worked well. This mini-album is a fun 9/10!

What did you think of NCT 127’s new mini-album? Let us know in the comments below!

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Edited By: Sarah Smith

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