[Album Review] WALK (6th Studio Album) – NCT 127

9 hours ago 4

It has been over a month since I posted my last album review to focus on the 2024 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. With that out of the way, I can finally return to the forever growing backlog of albums. First up is NCT 127’s 6th studio album, WALK, which was released in July 2024. It features 11 songs, including the title track, Walk (which I nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop Song in the 2024 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – unfortunately, it didn’t win, but it was my personal choice). This is the first album not to feature TAEYONG in the promotions, as he (at the time, and still is) enlisted in the military. But he did feature in the songs! This is also the last album to feature TAEIL, who was removed from the group soon after the album’s release.

With Walk leading the charge for this studio album, it was a definite positive sign for what would come on it. Two songs got perfect ratings from me, while a few almost got there as well! This made WALK good enough to be a recommended album. Continue reading to find out my thoughts on each song.

1. Intro: Wall To Wall – Nowadays, a two minute and 30 second intro track is pretty much a full-fledged track. Despite that, NCT 127 maintains that Wall to Wall is an intro track. Wall to Wall features an atmospheric instrumental that combines an organ with hip-hop influences. In combination with an amazing instrumental, there is an equally amazing set of vocals and passionate rapping from the members to kick off the album. (9/10)

2. Walk (삐그덕) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Walk. (9/10)

3. No Clue – No Clue emphasises the two sides of NCT 127. It starts with some cool rapping from TAEYONG and MARK, before we revert to smooth vocals from the vocalists. No Clue continues this pattern of cool rapping and smooth vocals for the remainder of the song, even in the chorus, to create a very unskippable hip-hop track. (9/10)

4. Orange Seoul (오렌지색 물감) – Orange Seoul is quite a fun number, joining jazzy instrumental elements with some strong vocals and rapping. This sounds like a great soundtrack for walking down the street in a very good mood. I liked Orange Seoul the most when the members and the instrumentation get super expressive. It is hard to pass up. (9/10)

5. Pricey – Grooviness hits you from the very first second in Pricey, setting up the song for success. Alongside it was some cool piano work and hip-hop elements, which add a lot of buoyancy. The continuous flow and delivery by the members were other amazing aspects of Pricey. Altogether, another good song. (8/10)

6. Time Capsule – Time Capsule sees NCT 127 slip into mid-tempo territory with this R&B/hip-hop track. But this is not something to look down on – Time Capsule is a stunner. The smoothness of the track was fantastic, and the rapping was nicely balanced to give us that hip-hop flair without becoming overbearing. Ultimately, the vocals won me over and made me come back for more. (10/10)

7. Can’t Help Myself (영화처럼) – Another stunning track comes in the form of Can’t Help Myself. Again, it is the vocals that floors me. The ad-libs in this one are phenomenal. I originally thought the “I can’t, I can’t help myself, I can’t, I can’t help myself no oh” lines were a little abrasive. But they have grown on me and give Can’t Help Myself some texture that allows it to be different from other vocal-centric tracks on this album. (10/10)

8. Rain Drop – We return to the R&B and hip-hop mix we heard earlier in the album in Rain Drop. But Rain Drop is much lower in tone and is sleek. I like how atmospheric the instrumental was and how it felt like the jazzy music that matches a rainy day. The rapping also adopts a low tone approach, which was very cool. The vocals were lovely, and I love HAECHAN’s incline in the bridge. I am in two minds about the shouty “I can hear you, my rain drop yup” line that breaks up the song. On one hand, it is a pretty memorable aspect of Rain Drop. On the other hand, it is a bit jarring (relative to the rest of the track). (8.5/10)

9. Gas – Gas taps into trap side of electronic music, combining it with hip-hop elements. This track feels very NCT 127. While I appreciate the latter, I am not a massive fan of the former. I also find the repetition of the song’s title to be very bone-dry. It is still a well-conceptualised track, and I like how it showcases that bounce synonymous with hip-hop. I also liked how they took the energy to the next level towards the end with that dynamic changeup. (7/10)

10. Suddenly (서서히) – The penultimate track on WALK is Suddenly, which takes us back to the R&B side of the album. The instrumental makes Suddenly a nice track. I like the mix of acoustic guitars, dynamic piano and refreshing percussion. We are also treated to some brassy elements in the chorus and some trap elements later on that form the instrumental break. The vocal and rapping work and the paced delivery of the chorus are also quite refreshing. A lot to like in Suddenly. (8.5/10)

11. Meaning of Love (사랑한다는 말의 뜻을 알아가자) – The final song on the album is Meaning of Love. It is a cute and sweet song from the group. Probably a bit of a mismatch when you compare it to the rest of the album. But Meaning of Love isn’t a terrible song by a longshot. I like the upbeat vibes from the more acoustic instrumentation in the background and the build-up that the track features. The vocals were very nice, particularly the husky tone the rappers used in the song. (8/10)