NCT 127 have experienced substantial changes since their last album, 2024’s ‘Walk’. Originally a group of nine, the boyband are now down to just five. Some are gone for good – disgraced former member Taeil was cut from the group in 2024 following a sexual assault case, while core member Mark Lee left earlier this year – while others are away temporarily (Doyoung and Jungwoo are fulfilling their military service). Despite running at reduced strength, the remaining NCT 127 members – Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta, Jaehyun and Haechan – are showing that they’re down but not out.

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Where past records leaned into R&B, the boyband step decisively toward hip-hop on ‘Blingy’. ‘Piñata’, a buzzy cocktail of rock and hip-hop is brimming with the energy of a band with something to prove – it’s all snarl and swagger through electric guitar riffs and breakbeat drums. A frenetic blend of dubstep with distorted synths, hard-hitting drums and chanted hooks, title track ‘Blingy’ is a feisty showcase that NCT 127 understand the larger-than-life world they’ve created and how to build upon it.

This album’s experiments yield the best results on ‘IKR’ and ‘Legacy’. The former is a percussion-forward spin on upbeat hip-hop that employs a xylophone-like timbre that undulates and ripples across the track. ‘Legacy’, on the other hand, is the boyband’s maximalist nature firing on all cylinders. It’s a dauntless, multidimensional soundscape packed with layers of rap, rhythmic vocal harmonies and a warped bass. A brilliant reminder that the formula endures because it works – fitting on an album designed to celebrate what makes NCT 127 tick.

On the two occasions where the boyband go more pop, it becomes very hit and miss. Sun-drenched tropical house confection ‘Getaway’ is one of the record’s strongest, thanks in no small part to producer dwilly, whose catalogue boasts other exemplary house-pop tracks (RIIZE’s ‘Impossible’, Hearts2Hearts’ ‘Focus’). Meanwhile, piano-led pop rock number ‘127 Million Miles’ is the obligatory sentimental entry on the album. The surprise inclusion of Doyoung and Jungwoo is welcome, especially considering their absence elsewhere, but its production is so safe that it brings ‘Blingy’ to a lull.

With a rapper gone and the group’s usual main vocalists sidelined, the most predictable outcome for ‘Blingy’ would have been to sound like a band operating with both hands tied. Yet, the quintet overcome these challenges with previously overshadowed members like Yuta and Johnny stepping up to the plate. ‘Blingy’ is proof that NCT 127 remain clear-eyed about who they are. Whatever comes next for them, however many members answer that call, this is not where their story ends.

Details

• Record label: SM Entertainment
• Release date: August 24, 2026