Neo Zone

Neo Zone
A retro, '90s-themed square with both the album's title in black and the group's name in warm color. A Chinese-styled and light-color rooftop can be seen in the background.
Digital, kihno and T version cover
Studio album by
NCT 127
ReleasedMarch 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)[1][2]
Recorded2017–2020
StudioSM (Seoul)
Genre
Length45:46
Language
  • Korean
  • English
Label
Producer
NCT 127 chronology
Neo City: Seoul – The Origin
(2019) 		Neo Zone
(2020) 		Loveholic
(2021)
NCT chronology
The Dream
(2020) 		Neo Zone
(2020) 		Reload
(2020)
Singles from Neo Zone
  1. "Dreams Come True"
    Released: January 27, 2020
  2. "Kick It"
    Released: March 6, 2020
Alternative cover
Repackage edition digital cover
Repackage edition digital cover
Singles from Neo Zone: The Final Round
  1. "Punch"
    Released: May 19, 2020

Neo Zone (also known as NCT #127: Neo Zone) is the second Korean studio album (third overall) by the South Korean boy band NCT 127. Preceded by the music video release for "Dreams Come True" on NCT 127 Day, January 27 (1/27), the 13-track album was released through SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group on March 6, 2020.[3] Neo Zone contains various musical genres from hip hop, R&B, funk, to electro-pop, which aimed to create a soundscape that broadened the group's sonic vision.[4] The repackaged version of the album, titled NCT No. 127 Neo Zone: The Final Round, was released on May 19, 2020.[5][6]

Several music critics noted the album's strong 1990s hip hop and R&B influences and the experimentation with various sounds. The album was commercially successful, becoming their fifth chart-topper on the Gaon Album Chart while earning the group their first top-five entry on the Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 87,000 album-equivalent units. As of April 2020, the album had sold over 805,000 copies in South Korea, becoming the group's first release to receive a multi-Platinum KMCA certification. The repackage gave the group their sixth number one title on the Gaon Album Chart, and rose cumulative sales of the record to over 1.2 million copies.

Three singles were released from Neo Zone: including the pre-released "Dreams Come True", the lead single "Kick It", and the repackaged album's single "Punch". To promote the album, the group performed on South Korean music programs including Music Bank, Show! Music Core and Inkigayo, while becoming the first K-pop act to perform at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The group originally planned to embark on their first U.S. arena tour; titled "Neo City – The Awards" from June 6, 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

  1. ^ "NCT 127 Share Details On New 'Neo Zone' Full-Length Album With U.S. Pre-Order". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "NCT 127 to make comeback with repack 'Neo Zone: The Final Round'". SBS. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Herman, Tamar (January 27, 2020). "'Dreams Come True'! NCT 127 Drop New Video With Jungwoo & Announce 'Neo Zone' Album for NCT 127 Day". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  4. ^ "NCT 127 Break Down "Neo Zone" Album". Billboard. 2020-03-06. Archived from the original on 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  5. ^ "SM 측 "NCT 127, 5월 발매 목표로 리패키지 앨범 준비 중" [공식입장] 본문듣기 설정". Naver. April 7, 2020. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "NCT 127 컴백, 신곡 '펀치' 오는 19일 발표". 매일경제 (in Korean). 27 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2020-05-02.