Welcome to another album review!

I procrastinated so long on this album that the repackaged is already out so *shifty eyes* I shall be reviewing them both.

Let’s get right to it!

Sticker

I don’t like this song and I know I may be the minority on this but  no. It didn’t grow on me either.

It feels empty in the verses and I don’t like the chorus.

However, this song is very NCT 127 in that it’s experimental. It fits what they set out to do and as Form of Therapy’s PD said it works as a title track as title tracks are supposed to grab your attention and get you talking and interested in the group and I feel they did that.

I also feel like this song has that “futurist” sound society is always chasing. I wonder if in the future all music will actually be like this or no…

Lemonade

This is a diss track

I feel like they’re talking to trolls on the internet

I wonder if they vented to the lyricist and then they made a song about it.

They’re like, you keep trying to hate on us but you’ll never bring us down. We’ll continue to work hard and kill it in our field. Your efforts are going to be wasted, oh and also you’re jealous.

I liked the melody more on the third listen so it is a grower.

Breakfast

I liked this one first listen. It makes me mad that I took so long to check out the album.

I really like the beat and the melody of the song. I like its electronic/techno nature. This is the kind of song that I would like if it came on in the club.

It’s upbeat and it gets you moving without being annoying. NCT 127 is really good at making dance songs and this is another one to add to their repertoire.

The lyrics be spicy, I don’t care if they deny it! They are spicy!

They’re talking about how the subject of the song is captivating and they don’t want their time together, at the club, to end. So they’re like let us not separate and spend time at the all night disco together… then have breakfast together in the morning.

Yes, they stay together till the morning… dancing.

I’m joking but I would be that person to dance all night.

But no, they spent the night together. They had such a good time that they decided to have breakfast together too. It’s giving… I’m falling for you.

Focus 같은 시선

This song feels dreamy and is perfect for a smooth night time playlist. Also, for a romantic playlist to set the mood for a candle light dinner date; especially as the lyrics talk about how they can’t wait to chill together.

It’s another song filled with innuendo. However, I feel it also talks about intimacy. The intimacy of a date when you’re talking till five am or the intimacy of spending quality time with the one you love just talking or whatever till the early hours. It has those vibes.

However, the rap sections took me out of that vibe and so I felt like the song would have been better if they had kept it just singing. (On second listen it wasn’t as jarring but that could be because I was expecting it).

Yuta’s voice really shone in this song. He has a rich and velvety voice and ugh he just hits the right notes. That high note he hit too *chefs kiss* c’est bon!

The Rainy Night내일의 나에게

This is the kind of ballad I like, right at the cusp!

It’s melancholy and perfectly suited for a rainy night as the English title says.

The song talks about a break up and how they want time to stop. They don’t want to deal with a tomorrow where they’re broken up so they want to stay in the time before the break up happened.

“So the break up is tomorrow’s me problem,” is their thinking and that refers to the Korean title.

This song is all singing and they delivered the emotions well. It felt sweeping… would be perfect to listen to at a concert.

I feel like Doyoung would own this song, and I can hear him owning it when I listened to the track, he always delivers on the emotional “I just lost my love” vibes.

Far

They are going places and you can’t stop them. They are travelling and continuing on their journey to achieve their dream and to reach their goal.

The start had me thinking it was going to be melancholy but they switched up quickly. It’s not upbeat though, it’s just livelier than the last song.

I like it. It’s one of those I like just because. I like the bridge and just how the song flows in general.

Bring the Noize

The song is as the title suggests, they’re coming at you. They’re done being melancholy and it’s time to amp it up.

It’s a song you don’t have to take too seriously and can just listen to mindlessly. Let it take you where it wants to take you.

A lot of car metaphors and like a car this song has a lot of parts and yet they all work together.

I like Jaehyun’s rap section as well. I always feel like he has the right attitude when it comes to rap or perhaps I just like his style. I can just feel it, whatever he’s putting down, even when just listening to the song and not seeing his face.

I feel like the song is constantly building. I especially feel that in the verses leading to the chorus. It feels like we’re building for a climax and then we plateau and then we start building again.

This song would certainly get you pumped up.

Magic Carpet Ride

So Aladdin wrote this song and then he gave it to NCT 127 because he loves their work and he felt they could really bring the lyrics to life.

They did.

Aladdin only regrets not giving them the song sooner as they could have sung it for the live action movie of his life.

Their singing and the mood they set… so good! So romantic! I felt like I was on the magic carpet ride with them.

Only thing, it’s a little jarring after Bring the Noize; a very abrupt tone shift.

Road Trip

Let’s go on a road trip together, to a place only we know and let’s spend quality time together, is the whole gist of the song.

The melody of the song is cosy and comforting. It’s peaceful to listen to and a nice follow up for Magic Carpet Ride.

Dreamer

This song is what I imagine being with your best friend is like or what being friends with your S/O is like.

It’s friendly, upbeat and gives me Disney vibes in that it’s wholesome.

They’re like entrust your worries to me, you can tell me anything but let’s also have fun together and enjoy life.

Promise You

A really nice song to end on. I like the beat and how it feels like it’s running, it’s running to the time they’ll see each other again.

Mark’s rap in this is really good and I love how Taeil starts the song.

The lyrics talk about how they’re parting and they, 127, are not going to be sad but rather hopeful for when they meet again.

It’s like if the meme from Sex Education (“You waited?” “Of course”) was a song.

It’s bitter sweet with hopeful undertones.

I like how at the end it’s just the beat and minimal singing so you can just ride out the vibes to the end of the album.

So in conclusion for the Sticker album, I like this album way more than I thought I would. Because of Sticker I have been dragging my feet to check out this album. However, the songs aren’t like Sticker… none of them.

My mind is boggled.

I don’t think there is an intended theme for this album however, in my opinion, the theme is romance. They talk about the various kinds of romance, the lust, the romantic side and the break up. Only three songs don’t fit that theme and that’s Lemonade, Far and Bring the Noize.

Also, this album is much more autumn than I thought it was going to be.

Now for the repackaged we have three new songs!

Favourite (Vampire)

This one is a grower, every time I listen to it I like it more.

They’re not the vampires but the one they love is. They know she’s dangerous and is harming them but they can’t get enough. They are addicted to her.

I imagine the lyrics are what it’s like to be in love with Dracula. The lyrics highlight how toxic this addictive love can be especially when directed at a bad person or someone who has no regard for your emotional wellbeing.

The verses are interesting but I don’t mind them, at least on the second and third listen I don’t. On the second listen I realised I loved the chorus. It pulls on the heart strings, you can feel their heart ache and how much they love her even though she ain’t it.

Yuta, his voice shines through in the song, this is his song. My man really suits these types of song due to the tone of his voice. It’s fitting as this is his birthday month (October).

Doyoung also fits the vibes of Favourite because as you know, he’s twice divorced. (I don’t know where he gets that energy from).

The mv delivers on the melancholy vibes and is strangely beautiful. The metaphor of a beautiful and delicate butterfly entering them and yet possibly doing damage… was I the only one who thought of Hua Cheng?

Although, Hua Cheng is nice… to Xie Lian (that book will never leave my consciousness).

Yes, I am digging this song. I like my ‘in my feels’ songs.

The dance break is jarring though and could have been done without. I’m glad it’s not in the actual track but more a performance only type thing.

Side note: Did Taeyong/Mark say sheesh at the beginning of the song? Please, no…

Love on the Floor

This is a love on first listen! They are adding to my club playlist and my runway playlist!

Should I get into fashion so I can actually use my runway playlist?

Alas, it’s not about sex. It’s about dancing! (You can’t see it but I’m making flamboyant arm gestures).

They’re attracted to someone, the attraction is magnetic, they can’t help to be drawn towards each other. Then suddenly they find themselves dancing. Their bodies do the talking and they’re saying all the right things.

I’m not going to lie, I had to force myself to concentrate on the lyrics because I was already dancing when the song started (I use lyric videos for translations).

It’s right up my alley.

Pilot

This song is refreshing. It’s pretty standard and a tad cheesy at times.

The lyrics are sweet. They talk of taking their person wherever they want to go. They’ll be her pilot. She just has to tell them where she wants to go.

It’s giving, ‘I’ll make your dreams come true’.

It’s cute.

That is it for the review. At the moment my favourites are Breakfast, Love on the Floor and Favourite. I’m also feeling Far the more I hear it. Promise You may be my favourite amongst the melancholy songs.

This may be one my favourite NCT 127 albums, although nothing has yet to beat my intense love for Limitless (Awaken is pretty good too from their Japanese discography).