NCT 2023 Has Released Absolute Gold with New Album Golden Age - The 4th Album
NCT has done it once again and released a no-skip album. I am honestly at a loss for words…this album is so good. NCT is a 20-member boy group under SM Entertainment. The members are Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Ten, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark, Xiaojun, Hendery, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Yangyang, Chenle, and Jisung. All the members can be heard throughout the album with all of them being in at least two songs. NCT has had an already packed year with tours, albums, solo projects, and many more, but today they have graced us with an amazing album.
The album contains 10 songs total. The songs are;
“Baggy Jeans”
“Call D”
“PADO”
“Interlude: Oasis”
“The BAT”
“Alley Oop”
“That’s Not Fair”
“Kangaroo”
“Not Your Fault”
“Golden Age”
Title Track: “Baggy Jeans”
“In my baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy baggy jeans,” I have been singing this all day long! Now this is how you start an album. “Baggy Jeans” is only one of the title tracks that we get on this album. NCT is known for their upbeat/hype music and this song did that. This unit is made up of the five members who created an iconic debut title track “The 7th Sense.” The members Taeyong, Mark, Ten, Doyoung, and Jaehyun ate this song up. My personal favorite part has to be the chorus. The way they lower their voices and the choreography are just so mesmerizing. The video was really aesthetically pleasing. The scenery was beautiful as well; the scene with them on the roof dancing with the sunset behind them was stunning. My favorite part of the video personally is the floating pants, it really brought a smile to my face. It’s such a fun track and is definitely one of my favorites off the album.
“Call D”
This song is so neo-coded. The drill and synth beats merged perfectly. This is another one of my favorites off the album. In this unit, there are only two members: the ever-so-talented Taeyong and Ten. These two members have been in a track together before, and just like in “Baby Don’t Stop” they did amazing in this song as well. They are honestly a really good pair and their voices merge so smoothly. Knowing that it’s these two, I can’t wait to see the choreography for this song. I just know it’s going to go so hard.
“PADO”
I love this song so much! This is personally my number one track. In this unit, there are seven members in total: Johnny, Taeyong, Mark, Haechan, Xiaojun, Jaehyun, and Hendery. Not only is this song fun, but it gives that R&B and Pop-funk that just tickles the right part of my brain. In my opinion, this could have been a title track, and I love to see a video for this one. “PADO” is top-tier B-Side in my opinion, they definitely went all out with this one. It’s another great B-Side from NCT.
“Interlude: Oasis”
Normally I’m not an interlude listener, but this one right here is so good. When it comes to interludes the majority of the time they are tracks with just music playing, no vocals. But with “Interlude: Oasis” it’s different. The members singing in this song are Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jaemin, and Chenle and they did so well. This is another upbeat track that I wish was longer. It has a good chill vibe to it that I really enjoyed.
“The BAT”
The 180 that we did from the previous song made me chuckle. This song is so powerful; it’s another track that screams NCT. I hear this song and instantly picture a rave. The members that are in this unit are Taeil, Johnny, Jungwoo, Yuta, Hendery, Jeno, and Jisung. Just from the sound of this song, I did not think it was going to showcase the vocalist that much, but the moment I heard Taeil, Yuta, and Jungwoo, I knew I was wrong. The music video matched the concept of the song as well. It’s such a fun track that makes any listener want to party.
“Alley Oop”
Have you ever heard a song that made you instantly move your head to the beat? That’s what happened to me the moment “Alley Oop” started. I couldn’t help it. The beat is so addictive, and the song itself makes me want to dance. In this unit, there are seven members in total: Yuta, Winwin, Jaemin, Hendery, Jeno, Yangyang, and Jisung. They all ate in this song and I find myself constantly hitting repeat. It’s excellent and has me ready to bust a move.
“That’s Not Fair”
The “La’s” in the beginning had me so hyped. The monotone vibe of this song matched the hip-hop undertone perfectly. This hip-hop based unit features six members: Johnny, Taeyong, Mark, Jeno, Ten, and Yangyang. It was great to hear the rappers singing as well. This is another track where my head instantly started nodding along. It for some reason reminds me of a ‘90s rap track. This is also another track I would love to see a video for.
“Kangaroo”
This is such a lighthearted track and video. The deep “Do’s” in the beginning had me thinking this song was going to sound completely different. I thought this was going to be a R&B track, but instead, it’s a fun summer pop track. In this unit, there are six members in total: Taeil, Kun, Yangyang, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung went into the studio and made a joyful track that brought a smile to many faces. It’s adorable and is another favorite of mine.
“Not Your Fault”
Now our beloved ballad. Knowing NCT, I knew a ballad was coming and we got it. This R&B-infused track had me clutching at my heart. This unit is made up of seven members and their powerful vocals. The members Taeil, Kun, Doyoung, Xiaojun, Ten, Jungwoo, and Renjun put their everything into this song. It’s a really beautiful song that had me in my feelings. Their vocals are so strong and graceful that it makes you feel like they are floating. This is another one of my favorites off the album and really brought tears to my eyes because of how good it is.
Title Track: “Golden Age”
This is the final track on the album, and it so happens to be the second title track. As I’ve said before, I am a sucker for a good beat change and that’s exactly what happened in this song. The beginning of the song made me think this was going to be a ballad like “Beautiful,” and then the beat changed and I was sent on a whirlwind. It’s a fun track though. “Golden Age” was released before the album dropped and this pre-release had many listeners excited for the album. The video showed the members in different areas all doing different things, but what I liked the most is that with each member their scenery matched the intensity of their verse. I thought that was really interesting. My favorite part is the chorus. I found myself singing “Golden Age, Our Age” throughout the day. It’s a really good title track and ending to this jammed-pack album.
All in all this Golden Age is spectacular. There are absolutely no skips on this album. Personally, I haven’t felt this specific way about an album since NCT #127 Neo Zone. NCT has once again proven why they are such a talked-about group when it comes to great music in K-Pop. As an NCTzen I am beyond excited about the many things they have planned for the future, and can’t wait to hear it.