The Code is the fifth extended play by the South Korean boy group Monsta X. It was released by Starship Entertainment and distributed by LOEN Entertainment on November 7, 2017. It consists of seven tracks, including the title track "Dramarama".
Background and release In October, Monsta X had announced the comeback, through the official SNS channel, alongside the personal photos of intense colors and visuals. In the released image, the dreamy color and close-up of each member's face were included in the background, with some sensuous typography and part of the seven logos for each member, while subsequently released the story images for each member, ahead of their comeback.
The group's comeback showcase was held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Jung District, Seoul on the same day of the comeback.
The EP was released in two versions; DE:code and Protocol Terminal.
Critical reception "Dramarama" received critical praise, alongside the music video, with Taylor Glasby of Dazed describing both of them as "intriguing and alluring", noting the music video's concept of time travel with ambiguous meaning while praising the song's ability to highlight the "individual signatures" of the group members. Writing for Rolling Stone, Kim Jae-ha added that the song's "throbbing bass line", "funky rhythms", and "searing guitars", intensified its "hypnotic incantation" effect to the listeners.
Listicles + Name of critic or publication, name of listicle, name of work and rank Critic/Publication List Work Rank Song Dazed The 20 Best K-pop Songs of 2017 "Dramarama" 10 Rolling Stone The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music 74 Tone Glow The 50 Best K-pop Songs of 2017 48
Commercial performance As of 2022, the EP had sold over 170,000 units in South Korea.Cumulative sales for The Code: It also peaked at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart.
"Dramarama" debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart upon its release while the song "From Zero" debuted at number one in 2020. It had marked the group's first-ever weekly music show win, achieving it on The Show.
Track listing
Charts Album
Weekly charts + Chart performance for The CodeChart (2017)Peakposition French Download Albums (SNEP) 120 Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 57Japanese Albums (Oricon) 16 South Korean Albums (Gaon) 1 US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) 12 US World Albums (Billboard) 2
Monthly chart + Chart performance for The CodeChart (2017)Peakposition South Korean Albums (Gaon) 4
Year-end chart + Chart performance for The CodeChart (2017)Position South Korean Albums (Gaon) 25
Songs Weekly chart
+ Chart performance for "Dramarama" Chart (2017) Peakposition US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 7
+ Chart performance for "From Zero" Chart (2020) Peakposition US World Digital Song Sales (Billboard) 1
Sales Region SalesSouth Korea (Gaon)Cumulative sales for The Code: 175,902Japan (Oricon) 5,006
Accolades + Music program award for "Dramarama" Program Date The Show November 14, 2017
Awards and nominations + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category, nominated work and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominated work Result Golden Disc Awards 2018 Disc Daesang The Code Disc Bonsang Mnet Asian Music Awards 2018 Mwave Global Fans' Choice "Dramarama"
Release history + Release history and formats for The CodeRegionDateFormatLabel South Korea November 7, 2017 Various
See also List of K-pop songs on the Billboard charts List of K-pop albums on the Billboard charts List of K-pop songs on the World Digital Song Sales chart List of Gaon Album Chart number ones of 2017
References