NCT 127 release seventh studio album Blingy

NCT 127 have released their seventh studio album, Blingy, out Monday and continuing the group's reputation for quirky, experimental hip-hop-inflected pop. Two of the group's nine members, Doyoung and Jungwoo, are currently serving mandatory service in the Korean military, leaving five members, Johnny, Taeyong, Jaehyun, Haechan and Yuta, to promote the record.

NCT 127 is one of several subunits within SM Entertainment's sprawling NCT (Neo Culture Technology) concept, a family of groups built around different regions and styles that occasionally perform together as a supergroup. The band's members told the Los Angeles Times the album continues to chase what they call the "Neo" sound, an identity built less around a specific genre than a shared creative sensibility. "If you hear a song, people say, 'Oh, this sounds like an NCT 127 song,'" member Jaehyun said, pointing to a musical signature that has emerged over the band's decade together.

The album's title track grew out of the group's approach to genre-blending, which the members said reflects who they are as much as any specific sound. Member Johnny said the group leans into whichever style fits, from hip-hop to rock, without worrying about strict genre labels.

The release lands as NCT 127 marks 10 years since its 2016 debut, a milestone the members celebrated privately by exchanging gifts, including custom microphones and watches, rather than through major public events. The band first performed in the U.S. at the Hollywood Bowl and went on to headline world tours as the "Neo" concept expanded into a global fanbase known as NCTzens.

Looking ahead, members said they hope to keep pushing past K-pop's genre boundaries. "I don't think being Neo should be confined to just one area," Taeyong said, adding that the group wants its music to resist easy categorization even as it approaches a second decade together.