On the sub-unit's fourth official Korean-language full-length,
NCT 127
masterfully blend hip-hop, R&B, and dance on the evolved
2 Baddies
. Across a dozen tracks, the group's vocals shine, with lush harmonies bolstering the R&B-heavy cuts like "Time Lapse" and "Crash Landing" and adding a sense of playful danger on beat-heavy moments such as the title track. Later, they deftly switch from tenderness on "Gold Dust" and "Black Clouds" to aggressive energy on dancefloor-fillers like "Tasty" and "Faster." Through it all, they make it look easy. Without as much typically "K-pop"-sounding material,
have matured and delivered a cohesive, confident vision of where they might be headed. ~ Neil Z. Yeung