NCT 127 is officially kicking off its next chapter as a quintet.
On Tuesday (Aug. 11), the Seoul-based group released an energetic and upbeat video for their track “Piñata.” With this, the group is giving fans a first taste of their seventh studio album, BLINGY, out Aug. 24. The project will feature nine tracks and marks the group’s first full-length album in two years.
“Piñata,” released via SM Entertainment and Virgin Music Group, brings NCT’s experimental edge, where sounds of heavy rock guitars, a funky bass groove and breakbeat percussion fuse together and end up in a unique and catchy hip-hop sound. The video shows a cinematic take of NCT 127 in the heart of Seoul during a late-night outing, depicting the members as “streetwise fixers,” according to a press release, navigating the city and fearlessly taking on anything that crosses their path.
To celebrate their upcoming album, the group is bringing their new music directly to fans by headlining KCON LA on Friday, so listeners can get an early preview of BLINGY before it hits streaming platforms. That’s not all: The official “NCT 127 7th Album [BLINGY] Comeback Live Party” will take place on Aug 25, where the group will perform all the songs of the album, as well as sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the album.
The album marks a transformative era for Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun and Haechan, as it’s their first release as a five-member group — for the time being — since Doyoung and Jungwoo are currently serving in the military.
In 2024, after Tael was removed from the group, the septet spoke to Billboard following the release of their album WALK., which debuted at No. 117 on the Billboard 200. They opened up about working and collaborating together as a smaller group. “We were in a different mindset, for obvious reasons,” Mark told Tetris Kelly. “We’re not all together with nine members. From that point on, picking out the songs for the entire track list, we were very prudent with each and every decision.”
In April 2026, Mark parted ways with SM Entertainment and in July 2025, Winwin also exited the group after concluding his contract.
Watch the video for “Piñata.”
This story originally appeared on Billboard
