Fact Check is the fifth Korean studio album (sixth overall) by South Korean boy band, NCT 127. It was released on October 6, 2023, under SM Entertainment and consists of nine tracks including the lead single of the same name.[3][4]

Fact Check
Digital cover
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 6, 2023 (2023-10-06)
Genre
Length31:44
LanguageKorean
LabelSM
NCT 127 chronology
2 Baddies
(2022)
Fact Check
(2023)
Be There for Me
(2023)
NCT chronology
Golden Age
(2023)
Fact Check
(2023)
On My Youth
(2023)
Singles from Fact Check
  1. "Fact Check"
    Released: October 6, 2023

Background and release edit

On August 26, 2023, NCT 127 announced they would be making a comeback during their performance at NCT Nation: To the World.[5] SM Entertainment confirmed the news the next day, announcing their fifth full album's title and release date.[6]

Promotion edit

To promote the album, it was announced that NCT would be holding a "Night of Festival" to showcase the album following its release.[7][8] On the same day, the group also held a press conference, to commemorate the album's release.[9] The album was promoted with 8 members as a result of Taeil's injuries sustained in a motorcycle incident.[10]

Critical reception edit

Rolling Stone gave the album a positive review, writing, "You can hear the recent maturation fill even the smallest corners of Fact Check, which, without departing from their genre-hopping tendencies, is considered and clearly articulated in mood and emotion."[11]

Year-end lists for Fact Check
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Paste The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023 17 [12]

Commercial performance edit

The day after its release, the album debuted at number one on several real-time music charts, including the Hanteo chart in South Korea, the Line Music chart in Japan, and the QQ Music chart in China.[13]

The album debuted at number one on South Korea's weekly Circle Album Chart.[14] As of the end of 2023, the album has sold over 1.5 million copies in South Korea, making it the twentieth best-selling album of the year.[15] In Japan, the album reached number two on both the Oricon Albums Chart[16] and the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.[17]

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023, Fact Check was the fifteenth best-selling album worldwide, having sold 1.9 million units.[A][18]

Track listing edit

Fact Check track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Fact Check" (불가사의; 不可思議)
  • Wutan
  • Rick Bridges
  • Na Jeong-ah (153/Joombas)
Omega3:04
2."Space" (무중력)Danke (Lalala Studio)
  • Omega
  • Inscore
3:08
3."Parade" (행진)Lee Na-yun (Jam Factory)Dem Jointz3:25
4."Angel Eyes"
  • Foote
  • Simpson
3:04
5."Yacht"Shin Jin-hye (Jam Factory)
  • Michael McHenry
  • Larus Orn Arnarson
  • Kaine
  • Peter Fenn
  • Ray Anthony Smith
  • Caleb Tyrone Armstrong
DaysOf19933:07
6."Je Ne Sais Quoi"Since
  • Daniel Pattiata
  • Rico Greene
  • Ronnie Icon
Hoodie3:35
7."Love Is a Beauty" (별의 시)
  • The Breed
  • Mizzy Lott
  • San Yoon
  • Taeyong
  • Mark
  • The Breed
  • Mizzy Lott
4:48
8."Misty" (소나기)
  • Kang Eun-jeong
  • Taeyong
  • Mark
Klein3:57
9."Real Life"Na Jeong-Ah (153/Joombas)
Sivertsen3:32
Total length:31:44

Charts edit

Certifications edit

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›
Certifications for Fact Check
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[37] Gold 100,000^
South Korea (KMCA)[38] Million 1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide (IFPI) 1,900,000[18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes edit

  1. ^ The IFPI Global Albums chart ranks, in order, the albums that generated the most money globally across streaming, download, and physical record sales (combined) in a calendar year. The Global Album Sales Chart measures global unit sales across all physical formats, as well as full album downloads.

References edit

  1. ^ "NCT 127 members talk 'Fact Check' sonic diversity, artistic evolution, 'limitless' future". USA Today. October 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "NCT 127 the 5th Album 'Fact Check'". Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "NCT 127 captures beauty of Seoul with new album 'Fact Check'". The Korea Times. October 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "NCT 127 Returns With Fifth Studio Album 'Fact Check': Stream It Now". Billboard. October 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "K-pop group NCT 127 to return with fifth studio album 'Fact Check' in October". India Today. August 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "NCT 127 to release fifth full-length album 'Fact Check' next month". August 27, 2023.
  7. ^ "NCT 127 to hold 'Night of Festival' to celebrate release of 'Fact Check'". Korea JoongAng Daily. September 11, 2023.
  8. ^ "NCT 127 To Host Showcase For Fact Check – The 5th Album". United By Pop. September 11, 2023.
  9. ^ ""마의 7주년, 고민과 진심 담은 '팩트 체크'" 가장 'NCT 127'다운 귀환[SS현장]". Sports Seoul. October 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "NCT 127, '오토바이 사고' 태일 복귀 질문에 "확답은 어려워"". HankoIlbo. October 6, 2023.
  11. ^ "How NCT 127 Became K-Pop's Unapologetic Mavericks". Rolling Stone. October 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Opie, David (December 21, 2023). "The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023". Paste. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  13. ^ Kim Min=ji (October 7, 2023). "NCT 127, 정규 5집 '팩트 체크'로 음원·음반 차트 1위". News1 (in Korean).
  14. ^ "NCT 127 'Fact Check' 써클 주간 차트 4관왕" [NCT 127's 'Fact Check' takes quadruple crown on Circle Chart]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). October 12, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Album Chart 2023". Circle Chart. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "週間 アルバムランキング 2023年11月13日付" [Weekly Album Ranking as of November 13, 2023]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Hot Albums [ 2023/11/15 公開]". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). November 15, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Taylor Swift, Seventeen and Morgan Wallen top IFPI Global Album Charts" (Press release). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. March 28, 2024. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  19. ^ "Australiancharts.com – NCT 127 – Fact Check". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – NCT 127 – Fact Check" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Fact Check (Poster version) – Week 42, 2023" (in Croatian). HDU. October 23, 2023. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Lescharts.com – NCT 127 – Fact Check". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  23. ^ "Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Combined), Week: 15/2024". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-11-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  25. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2023-11-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  26. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums – Week of November 15, 2023". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – NCT 127 – Fact Check". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  28. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – NCT 127 – Fact Check". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  29. ^ "Circle Album Chart – Week 40, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  31. ^ "NCT 127 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  32. ^ "NCT 127 Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  33. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2023-11" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  34. ^ "Circle Album Chart – October 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  35. ^ 年間 アルバムランキング 2023年度 [Annual Album Ranking 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  36. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2023". Billboard Japan. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  37. ^ "Japanese album certifications – NCT 127 – ISTJ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 15, 2024. Select 2023年12月 on the drop-down menu
  38. ^ "South Korean album certifications – NCT 127 – Fact Check" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved January 7, 2024.