Novelty can be vital in K-pop, and one way it is achieved is through member permutations of a larger group. NCT, SM Entertainment’s supergroup, was built around this very concept. While the group is no longer expanding in member number, it continues to rack up its squads of subunits. NCT JNJM marks subunit number seven. Composed of NCT DREAM members JENO and JAEMIN, NCT JNJM’s novelty is primarily persona-driven. As a sleek hip-hop duo rather than a high-energy septet, JENO and JAEMIN have more space to show their personalities in the performance. “BOTH SIDES,” the lead single off of the subunit’s debut album, could be found on an NCT or NCT DREAM album, but the track’s lighthearted rap banter at its heart works better for a duo who don’t mind being unserious in their braggadocio. Across its six tracks, the debut mini album is built around the cute-sexy duality of the 25-year-old idols. JAEMIN very seriously wrote the lyrics for “What It Is,” an R&B bop about two people on the cusp of falling in love. On it, the two artists croon in a way they are rarely asked to as rappers in NCT DREAM, confirming the novelty in yet another NCT subunit.