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. The 10 tracks on the album oscillate between funky hip-hop and pop-tinged R&B balladry. The title track showcases the group’s harmonious vocal style and charismatic singsong raps and, according to NCT Dream member Jaemin, the lyrics “express our determination to show our hot-sauce-like charms, so powerful and stimulating that once you’ve had a taste, you cannot escape them”. Fellow band member Jeno said: “Our first full-length album Hot Sauce includes 10 tracks of different style. From Mark rejoining to Jisung now being an adult, all seven of us really came together for this album. “It includes sides of ourselves that we wanted to show, along with messages we wanted to share with fans.” “When we debuted, we were just really young – and that was just the ‘one flavour’ we could offer. I think as we’ve progressed in our career, there are multiple flavours we can now showcase to everyone,” Jeno added. Mark said since all of the members are now adults, they can work after 10pm – something NCT Dream, in accordance with South Korea’s child labour laws, hadn’t legally been able to do. As for Mark’s return, Renjun said that, like the band’s fans, his bandmates had always considered the rapper an integral part of the group even in his absence. “Even when Mark wasn’t promoting with us, it felt more like he was absent for a certain period, and just naturally came back. I think with all seven members back now, we’re able to showcase all the different colours and charms we, as NCT Dream, have to show. Mark has always been a part of us.” The album, which the band is actively promoting – they held an online event for fans on May 11, a day after its launch – shows their growth as a team and the fire of the now-permanent line-up. NCT DREAM breaks their own record with over 1.71 million pre-orders for NCT DREAM The 1st Album ‘맛 (Hot Sauce)’! A 243% growth compared to their previous album! Title track ‘맛 (Hot Sauce)’ and its MV to be released today at 6PM KST! #NCTDREAM #맛_HotSauce #NCTDREAM_맛_HotSauce — NCT DREAM (@NCTsmtown_DREAM) May 10, 2021 Hot Sauce is already the bestselling album from any of NCT’s three units, the others being NCT 127 and WayV; according to a tweet shared on the band’s official Twitter account, pre-orders for the album were over 200 per cent higher than for the band’s April 2020 EP, Reload . Reports said pre-orders for physical copies of the album exceeded 1.71 million. The music video for Hot Sauce also saw a lot of love, receiving around 60 million views in four days.