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Hello Future is very much on brand for NCT Dream. Youthful and colorful. Actually, the whole album was on brand. The other sub-units can't pull off that sound.

Also, we're talking about SM here. They won't recycle previous concepts and songs. They move forward musically and keep experimenting with different sounds, whether you or we like it or not.

lot of effort and thought went into this post I must say

you get a like simply for that

My favourite NCT 127 music is still the electronic experimental stuff especially their first ep and I'm getting very lukewarm with what they've been releasing lately but their first ep is really unique and even when I started stanning inknew they would never release something like that again. I am still excited for what we are going to get from 127;.

i Also think it would be too hard to plan everything with a group of such scope as nct.

I appreciated your post.

Speaking as a non-NCTzen and someone who likes their music a lot.

Tho I think SM is actually good at promoting NCT, their comeback schedules are confusing, but not as badly planned as LOONA's units were.

Those who like NCT as a whole/the brand itself, always get new music, it's fun.

Sticking to a concept is great to create music identity and a dedicated fandom that like that concept (I'd 100% stan the minimalistic/atmospheric NCT U you're suggesting, since it was my fave concept of NCT songs in general), but it's not the current vision of SM Ent in terms of music as far as I've noticed.

NCT is an experimental group, so I wouldn't expect them to fix with a single concept.

First off, welcome to AKP!

I feel like the units are still pretty distinguishable. NCT U has always been a hybrid of all the elements. @@@bcb31b11-b1a4-4be5-81ab-2f6537f232b3@@@ is still brighter, friendlier and poppier than NCT 127. I can’t imagine the 127 squad singing a song like Hello Future or Dive Into You.

127 has always been more hip hop-driven in one side of their work, and warmly r&b driven in the other, with a helping of swaggy attitude.

I don’t think I’m seeing as much of a change in their style as you are, because they’ve always hopped around between genres, from experimental to smooth, depending on the song - for every Cherry Bomb, there’s a Good Thing, for every Gimme Gimme or Lipstick, there’s a Come Back or Summer 127.

On the MVs, if I’m understanding you correctly, you’re missing having a plot vs performance, I think. For 127 at least, that feels more like a one time deal because the majority of MVs after that were driven by performance or mood/aesthetic rather than a story. Or more simply, it’s hard to say they stopped doing it if they only really did it one time.

I can’t speak to plots on Dream MVs, because I don’t remember tbh and am too lazy to look right now, but they always struck me as being brightly and highly saturated colors, often with full daylight sunshine in a way that was different from even the outdoor location 127 videos (Highway to Heaven is outside but the colors are very much soft, golden tones and desert colors..)

Just as an FYI, there’s a NCT-related guild here on AKP, which is a space where NCTzens talk about all things NCT. Head to the Neo chat room and say hi!

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I'm late but welcome to this forum.

So, I mostly will talk about Dream since I know about them the most.

I don't think they are interchangeable at all. Hot Sauce are perfect for Dream because as Jaemin said its not too strong and not too soft either. It has its own flavor and thats why its suitable for Dream to show their new color. And then, they choose Hello Future which is very Dream to stay true to their identity.

Except Ridin, I think all of their title track song and bside really belongs to Dream and I can't think of other unit singing it.

Dream seams pretty much on brand for them, if you are expecting them to do Chewing Gum sound when they are 19-21 years old like they did at 14-16 is not gonna happen, Dream's concept always have been about growing up, they never had a sound identity since with growing up they did various sounds including electro-pop "Go" pretty early in their career, Hot Sauce was more on messy SM side but i don't see 127 or wayv doing it, is upbeat, colorful, fun, very Dream on brand to me, both sound wise and concept wise, Hello Future is basically We Go Up grow up version lol, their songs are more into pop sound.

I think Dream has the least interchangeable sound and mvs out of all NCT units because of bright sound and concept, while at times (lately) 127 and Wayv does seam interchangeable , especially nobody can't convince me Kick back wasn't supposed to be a 127 title track, is literally the sister of Kick It.

127 is more into EDM and hip hop title tracks and it seams to be still the same while r&b b-sides, Superhuman sounds like a Shinee song but thats all i could think, Kick It and Punch are still very 127 to me so their sound indentity is still there.

NCT U don't have and never had a sound identity since they aren't a stable unit, they are doing everything based on the members in the unit, they can release a ballad, a hip hop heavy or a pop song based on who's part of the unit.

But as more units debut is gonna get harder and harder to get a unique sound to all of them, some of them are gonna be interchangeable.