The boys of NCT really flipped around their repackage at a very fast rate! It feels like Regular-Irregular was released yesterday (read my unboxing here and review here). This time they are back with NCT 127 Regulate. This repackage includes 3 new tracks.
I did pick up a copy of this off of an E-Bay seller in Korea for about $24. They do have member-specific versions, so I got myself a Taeyong. You can also get the album off of Amazon for about $28 here plus free shipping if you have Prime.
If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can get a 30-day free trial using this link here. I will not lie, the free 2-day shipping, plus all of the free music and videos are totally worth it. I also now use it for books for my Kindle Paper W
Since this is a repackage, I will only be writing reviews of the new tracks added to the album. If you want to read my thoughts on the other tracks, you can read those here.
For the purposes of reading the remainder of this post, I recommend that you put the album on in the background, and read through it while listening to the track that I am talking about. This is what I recommend for all of my song reviews.
NCT127 Regulate Track By Track:
Welcome To My Playground
This track starts in a VERY different way than most other NCT songs! It is very cute and sweet! This cute feel is heightened by the instrumentation. They use a lot of staccato sounds in the track to really make it bounce. This is the kind of song that would probably make the girls go weak at the knees if it was sand to them.
What I really like about this song is that this song is very singing heavy, which is something I feel NCT doesn’t do that often. It is a group that leans more towards the rappers. I like the slightly honky tonk piano chords. I also like the shift in the track when you get to the hook. By switching it to a more legato sound it keeps the song interesting and moves it. Plus, when they combine the two styles during the chorus, it has a bit of a body roll feel.
Overall, this track is great, and definitely falls more along the Touch, from NCT 2018 Empathy album (review here and unboxing here). Honestly, it’s great to hear them mix it up a bit. They usually push so far towards street that I feel that the singers don’t get their moment to shine. Because of that, I really appreciate this flex in style for them.
Simon Says
So, like a good blogger who loves K-Pop, I’m not just going to write my thoughts on the track, I have gone and actually recorded a reaction to the music video. You can watch it here:
My other thoughts on this track besides the above? Honestly, this video describes how I think very well. This song is just a constant jaw drop for me. It’s extremely fresh, heavy hip hop, which is something NCT 127 excels at. Even though they excel at it, all of their singles mix it up enough that they don’t get stale. I can totally see older generations hating this, thinking it is “noise”, but honestly, I think it amazing.
My favorite parts of the track: That high note Taeil does. He has a really strong set of pipes that I personally envy. He hits that high note with such strength for a male that it makes me a bit weak at the knees. Additionally, per usual, the rappers in the group are extremely strong. Although the track is still Taeyong and Mark heavy, I think they did a wee bit better at line distribution than they did the last time. NCT is very good at using the same members… *cough cough* Mark *cough cough* for everything. So it is nice to see them highlight some of the others a little bit.
Chain (Korean Version)
This track was previously a part of NCT 127’s Japanese release that came out earlier this year. I’ve listened to this song at least 100 times already in Japanese, and I must say, it is a serious bop! The track is very percussive and has a lot of electronic elements to it. It has a serious street sound, as if it popped out of a junkyard, or maybe just “Trashin the Camp” from Tarzan:
Honestly, this track is really good. The rapping in it is fantastic, and it has the unique NCT sound to it. It sounds extremely modern, but it also feels like a sound you can only get from NCT 127: extremely manly, street, and forward-looking. The one thing that throws me off: I’m so used to the Japanese version that the Korean one throws me off.
K-Points: 634/5
There are a couple of things that I find interesting about this repackage. One: They moved My Van to before the Interlude. I think the jump from No Longer to My Van is a bit odd. At the same time, because of how No Longer ends, it feels like you are moving into a completely new movement anyways. Two: the new songs added only strengthen the flow of the album. Putting Simon Says right after the Interlude flows one track to the next seamlessly. Chain and Welcome to My Playground don’t feel awkward either. Basically, the repackage is just as good as the original.
So, should you buy a copy of this repackage? I personally think it is worth it. Plus, the album this time is an individual member version. Should you just stream it? That’s a no brainer. The album is actually really good. SM and their groups have been killing the game in 2018!
What track off of the repackage of Regular-Irregular is your favorite, K-Nuggets? What do you think of the added tracks? Let me know in the comments below!
사랑합니다!
–Rachel
