NCT Dream reveal new, grown-up K-pop sound on Hot Sauce, their first full-length album

NCT Dream members were supposed to leave the group when they became adults, but the band were so popular that idea was dropped and the original line-up is back

They see the album – which had pre-orders of 1.71 million, a record for any NCT unit – as a chance to show the full range of their talents, the band’s Jeno says

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NCT Dream dropped their first full-length album, Hot Sauce, on May 10. The 10 songs show off the group’s new, grown-up sound.

Published: 10:15pm, 13 May 2021Updated: 1:09am, 14 May 2021

NCT Dream returned this week with their first full-length album, Hot Sauce, and it shows how much the formerly teenage- oriented K-pop group has grown up.

Hot Sauce is the start of a new era for the Dreamies, with each song relaying how far the group have moved on from performing on hoverboards and singing about candy.

NCT Dream – a unit within the larger K-pop group NCT under South Korean media company SM Entertainment – released their first single, Chewing Gum, in 2016 and were presented as the underaged members of the team – members would graduate from the group when they reached adulthood.

Over the years, the seven original members gained a lot of love from fans, who rallied for “7Dream” to continue forever. Mark Lee – the eldest member – formally left a few years ago, and Hot Sauce marks his permanent return to the act. The album is the group’s first since all of its members, including 19-year-old Jisung, the youngest, became legally adults in South Korea.

Over the years, the seven original members of NCT Dream have gained a lot of love from fans. Photo: SM Entertainment

The 10 tracks on the album oscillate between funky hip-hop and pop-tinged R&B balladry.