Sugar, spice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to make the newest NCT subunit, NCT Wish, which debuted in 2024. Since then, NCT Wish have developed such a strong association with glitter, stars, and keychains that fans and non-fans alike have dubbed the aesthetic, “Wishcore.” Their songs reflect their youthful, cute concept; a vast majority of their songs are in a major key, and they literally have a song called “Supercute,” in which they sing about a “small bag covered in [keyring] dolls” and a “phone full of pretty beads and stickers.”
NCT Wish’s latest EP, Poppop, slightly diverges from their previous releases. The eponymous title track can still be classified as Wishcore with its cutesy music video and candy sweet lyrics (“Lemonade fizzing in my mouth, pop / Rainwater sparking between the blocks, pop / A sunburned can of coke goes pop”). The song even features the retro 90s percussion beat also found within tracks like the group’s debut song, “Wish.”
However, outside of its beautiful bridge, “Poppop” rather frustratingly lacks the outstanding vocal runs and unique melodies that make previous title tracks like “Songbird” and “Sail Away” so memorable. Why have Jaehee in the group if not to let him sing? If the song had slightly less of that rather one-note shouty chorus and a little bit more of the talent showcase going on in the pre-chorus and bridge, it would be near perfect.
By contrast, “Melt Inside My Pocket” makes up for the unimpressive sound of “Poppop.” The riff on the word “fool” in the chorus is unforgettable, and the song dynamically shifts between high energy and slow, stripped down instrumentals in a way that keeps listeners on their toes for the entire three minutes and 10 seconds of the song (see, K-pop A&R teams, K-pop fans can enjoy songs over three minutes!). Particularly because “Melt Inside My Pocket” was introduced at the three Seoul shows of NCT Wish’s Asia tour prior to Poppop’s release, it is easy to question why this track wasn’t chosen as title track over “Poppop.”
While some NCTzens have drawn parallels between NCT Wish’s “Design” and NCT 127’s “Designer,” the two songs clearly stem from different genres. While “Designer” is an upbeat R&B song, “Design” showcases impressive falsetto verses to supplement a quintessential NCT song with hiphop beats. This song sounds like it could come from NCT Dream instead, and its lack of Wishcore are the ones that make it rather boring and unnoteworthy despite the clear skill needed to execute a song like this.
The immediate standout of the EP is undoubtedly “1000,” which sounds the closest to Wishcore. Its plucky beat and staccato vocals are reminiscent of “3 Minutes,” and Yushi’s clear intro immediately pulls listeners into a smooth, easy, and fully satisfying two minutes and 50 seconds of pop R&B. The song might have made more of a splash than the typical b-side in part because some listeners may be unable to listen to Riku’s rap without immediately conjuring up accompanying visuals, but any additional streams garnered from a viral moment are going to the right track.
“Silly Dance” is appropriately named, considering the slightly spooky synth in the instrumentals that are vaguely reminiscent of Louie Zong’s ghost series — particularly the “ghost duet” — though with much more percussion going on in the background. NCT Wish nevertheless flesh out the silliness enough to bring an earworm to life. Lastly, “Still 3PM” sounds like another hit straight from the 90s until it hits a melodic chorus that would make the greatest pop boy groups of the west proud. The title is a clear reference to The Little Prince, and indeed, the song’s enchanting and jubilant instrumentals truly capture the joy of anticipation. The song is an appropriate way to close the album as we now wait for NCT Wish’s next release.
On the surface, there is nothing inherently wrong or overtly uncharacteristic about any of NCT Wish’s new tracks. However, a handful of songs — especially “Poppop” — lack the earworm quality that placed the group among my top five artists on my Spotify Wrapped last year.
Notably, a handful of big names are missing from this mini album’s song credits. Frequent SM Entertainment collaborator Adrian McKinnon, who is credited on NCT Dream’s “Hello Future,” F(x)’s “4 Walls,” and Taemin’s “Idea,” and who wrote for NCT Wish’s “Hands Up” and “Touchdown,” is missing from this EP, along with Rick Bridges (one of the producers credited for “Tears Are Falling”) and Cazzi Opeia (the mastermind behind “Sail Away”).
While some SM groups are known to work frequently with certain producers (such as Exo with LDN Noise and NCT 127 with Dem Jointz), it seems like NCT Wish is still on the road to finding those key producers and songwriters who can best shape their musical identity. Only time will tell if their next release will ring more true to Wishcore.
(YouTube [1][2], Tunebat [1], Genius [1][2], X [1]. Images via SM Entertainment.)
