NCT 2020 is Finally Here, “Make A Wish!”
When it was first announced last month, the news of RESONANCE Pt. 1 definitely caused a stir among NCTzens on stan Twitter, but what really caught everyone's attention was the announcement of two new members, Sungchan and Shotaro. It was unexpected and no one could have predicted that we’d have new faces to recognize along with a whole new album to attempt to learn the words to, but so far no one’s complaining. So, let’s dive right into it!
Music Video Aesthetics
The music video is a cornucopia of everything that is expected and wanted from NCT and SM Entertainment at this point. When you think of an NCT video, you probably think: dance, trippy edits, and visuals—this had all of that and more. The first thing that immediately stood out was the set design and the camera work, specifically the camerawork during Doyoung’s center part at about 40 seconds in where the camera pans to follow his arm movements. Another angle of camerawork that was just amazing to watch was Taeyong’s angle at 1:32 where he slides down while the camera tilts and falls to follow him. The overall editing was amazing. The delay that was overlaid into some of the dance scenes was dope and the color scheming through the video was on point the entire time. Although the filters were a little bit crazy looking, they seemed to fit the aesthetic that they were going for in the moment, so it worked. The visuals in this video, though? Out of this world. They all looked really good, well styled, and picture perfect, but Jaemin, Xiaojun, and Lucas in his shot at 2:52… Impeccable. Shotaro even got a lot of screen time and a few center dance parts, which was surprising considering he’s a new member, but we’re not complaining! Don’t miss the little snippet of video at the end either, it could be a teaser for Part 2 of their album.
Let’s Talk Music!
Tracklist:
“Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” ♔
“Misfit”
“Volcano”
“Light Bulb”
“Dancing in the Rain”
“Interlude: Past to Present”
“Déjà Vu”
“Nectar”
“Music, Dance”
“Faded in My Last Song”
“From Home”
“From Home (Korean Version)”
“Make A Wish (Birthday Song) [ English Version ]”
*Disclaimer: “Interlude: Past to Present” and “From Home (Korean Version)” will not be reviewed.*
“Make A Wish (Birthday Song)”
“Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” is definitely an NCT title track! Starting off with the catchy whistling and funky hard-hitting bass from the beginning, it flows right into a classic Taeyong verse that kicks the song into high gear. Clapping/Kick comes in with an intense synth at the pre-chorus and then it evens out during the chorus, keeping a mild intensity, but leaving room for the vocals to fill the empty space. The Jaemin and Shotaro combination at the beginning was something that was very pleasant on the ears because of the tones of their voices complementing the background music. Xiaojun and Jaehyun’s vocals were sweet like honey and this is the first time, but certainly not the last time, this will be mentioned—NCT has some of the best ending bridges in their songs. Period.
The English version of “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” keeps up with the constant NCT trend of being very… interesting, to say the least. Since we already got technical, the lyrics are really all that can be focused on for the English version and it’s so interesting how the Korean and English versions are so different from each other. Comparing the Jaemin, Shotaro, and Doyoung part at the beginning, the Korean lyrics translate to, “We got this today too. We take this place 100%. Move on to the next level higher mental. We’re already on another level another level ya. Let’s start, we gon’ fly. We won’t stop, it's alright,” while the English are “Sweet tooth I eat all of the Skittles. I like my donuts with jam in the middle. You’re a great example of what I’m into. I was thinking we could jam for a little. You’re all that I want, let me show what I’m on.” Clearly, the two songs, although the same… they are very different.
B-Sides
“Misfit” brings back the old school 90s hip-hop sound in a very impressive way, creating a slight pop-rock feel to it by really emphasizing the electric guitar and drums. That was particularly exciting to listen to because it complemented the flow and tone of the members’ rap verses. Mark gave us a flow in his second rap that we’ve never really heard from him before and that was surprising, but refreshing to hear—he’s trying something new. Hendery, Johnny, and Sungchan also did really well in this song and if they ever do another song like this, hopefully they’re in the lineup together again.
NCTzens had to be excited when they heard that the “BOSS” unit lineup was coming back for another round and honestly, they probably weren’t disappointed. Right from the start, “Volcano” brings back those same vibes that “BOSS” gave us back in 2018. That being said, this song isn’t as catchy as “BOSS.” It's unique in its own way, but it’s toned down, indicating that they weren’t trying to replicate the virality aspect because it wasn’t made to be marketed as a title track. The song is very similar in terms of bass line and song structure, it’s basically a 2.0 version of the former track, but the members pull it off and give the song a new feeling with the same swag. The most memorable parts of the song are Lucas’ charisma every time he delivers his lines and the bridge toward the end with Doyoung, Jungwoo, and Jaehyun.
“Light Bulb” is a track heavily influenced by both the hip-hop and R&B genres, creating a sound that fits perfectly with the vocal tones of everyone featured in the song: Taeyong, Kun, Doyoung, and Sungchan. The piano is very cleverly used here, with the treble notes purposely falling on the off-beats of the track for dramatic effect, and the bass line carries the track very nicely. Structure-wise, the song is reminiscent of “YESTODAY” with the rap in the beginning and the vocals gradually coming in to smooth it out and create harmonies and beautiful verses. Compared to “Misfit,” Sungchan got a lot more time to show off his talent in this song and that was good to see; he is a new member and he should have the ability to get some spotlight.
“Dancing in the Rain” is perfect for Autumn and it’s definitely going in the playlist for the season. It’s another R&B track that has a jazz style vibe created by a combination of electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, and piano. Though the music is definitely a strong highlight, the real highlight is the way the members convey their emotions through the song. You don’t have to be fluent in Korean to get a fluttery feeling when listening; a mixture between happiness and nervousness—something you would feel with someone you obviously really like. That in itself stood out, because you can hear songs like this, but not really connect to them enough to feel the emotions they’re supposed to be conveying.
In “Déjà Vu,” NCT DREAM finally returns to their original— and now permanent— lineup, giving us a song that’s unique and endearing. The song has a hard hitting kick that is accompanied by a playful pop ‘chime’ and smooth synth, while the lyrics provide a sense of happiness and excitement for the future by saying, “Let's run and play on the stage, Dream. This is how we feel, yeah. This is our stage, it's exciting, we can play a little bit more, ay.” It makes perfect sense for “Déjà Vu” to be lighthearted and fun as NCT DREAM’s first song back as a seven member unit and of course NCTzens can’t wait to see what else we’ll get from them.
WayV’s “Nectar” is yet another smooth and sexy track to add to their discography—no surprise there at all. A lot of the songs on this album have used the synth in various ways to bring out different feelings that fit the style of the song and “Nectar” is no different. The synth comes together with the drums and 808 bass guitar to give off a sensual feel and when you add WayV’s vocals to the mix, it just adds an air of confidence. Everyone did an amazing job, but Xiaojun and Kun’s vocals were so smooth and toward the end they came together for this unbelievable harmonization right before Xiaojun hit a beautiful run right into a high note. Everything about this song was just naturally polished.
“Music, Dance” brought to us by NCT 127 is an Afrobeat inspired dance song that has a surprisingly simple back track for the bridge and pre-chorus but groovy bass line for the verses and chorus itself. Looking back at “Kick It!” and “Punch,” this song is completely different, but it still has that signature NCT 127 sound to it; this song would also definitely be played in a club somewhere because the groove alone is just amazing. If a remix of this was made with the perfect BPM, it would do very well.
The opening to “Faded in My Last Song” alone will immediately bring a feeling of sadness and pain; there’s just something about a piano in minor that hurts the soul, even if it is beautiful. Johnny opening the song was perfect in setting the vibe and Jisung continuing after him was a really nice change of pace because it just fit so well and wasn’t jarring. Haechan’s back and forth lines with Renjun and Taeil— later Ten and Taeil, Renjun and Yuta— were like icing on the cake because they were eased in so seamlessly. Hearing Ten’s vocals in this song caused a thought to come to fruition, though: Ten wasn’t really heard a lot in this album at all and that’s a shame. It would have been nice to hear more from him.
“From Home” is a beautiful R&B ballad performed by Taeil, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Renjun, Haechan, and Chenle. It’s your standard ballad, accompanied by a piano and simplistic snaps to keep the beat right up until the chorus. When the chorus comes in, so does the bass line, giving us that R&B flair that was absent in the music at the start of the song. Things worth mentioning are that the vocalizations from all of the members are outstanding; literally all of them pulled their weight and showed off their talent in different ways. The song also boasts a strong language lineup, which is what makes it different from the all Korean version— Korean, English, Mandarin, and Japanese all in one song, something that hasn’t really been done before in K-Pop. It’s nice to hear not only because it’s different, but because they’re highlighting all of the languages of their group members and their home countries and that’s something special.