Stray Kids are a band who really need no introduction, and certainly not from me, a random college student on the Internet™. But if you don’t know who they are, they’re one of the biggest k-pop groups out there, and were formed on the precipice of the 4th generation in 2017 on a survival show by JYP Entertainment. They debuted with nine members: Bang Chan, Minho (Lee Know), Changbin, Hyunjin, Felix, Han, Seungmin, Jeongin (I.N.), and Woojin, the last of which left the group for undisclosed reasons in 2019.

Here are my credentials: If my stan card was a 2012 FaceBook status, it’d be labeled “it’s complicated”. I’ve been a k-pop fan since early 2019, and Stray Kids were one of the first groups I knew and started liking. But, despite still occasionally keeping up with their work and being a fan of the members, I haven’t been a very active fan. So, I’m hoping that this deep dive will help me rediscover why I started liking them in the first place, and along the way, I’ll discover songs of theirs I haven’t heard before. So, let’s do this!

EP #1: Mixtape

Hellevator is technically a pre-release, but I’m starting with it anyway. Starting off almost gentle, its rap verses come in like a sledgehammer to knock you off your feet, and then just when you’re settled again with another gentle section, the anti-drop comes in. I know that I rage against anti-drops often on this blog, but I do think that there are songs they work well in, and this is one of them. It connects with the message, and makes it stronger, also providing ample room for a dance break. One huge compliment I can give is that even though this was their first song, it still sounds like Stray Kids, from the lyrics about mental health, the EDM to the great rapping, and although it’s undeniably unpolished, there’s a lot here that lays a foundation for their later work.

From the EP, Mixtape, I enjoyed the build-up in Beware, the dramatic strings in Glow, and the fast-paced pop-rock beat of School Life. My hidden gem was the hopeful, determined Spread My Wings, which is both quite catchy and quite encouraging. This is a pretty strong first release!

EP #2: I Am NOT

District 9 was Stray Kids’ official debut and the first song I ever heard of theirs. Here, there’s no gentler moments to set the listener up for a bigger one. Instead, the song just never lets up, rushing forward at breakneck speed nearly the entire time, and by the time its last chorus comes around, it feels a little like a declaration of war. I have my quibbles: it’s certainly a product of its era of “I’m-cooler-than-you” angsty pop, and I wish that the chorus was a little more expansive, but District 9 is delivered with so much passion that it’s hard not to be swept up in it.

From the EP, I Am Not, I enjoyed the contrast between the gentle vocalizing and harsher rapping in Mirror and the chanting outro of Grow Up, though my hidden gem was the powerful Awaken, with its “wake up!” refrain.

EP #3: I Am WHO?

My Pace is one of the songs I was most excited for in this review, because I’d somehow never seen the music video before. While both Hellevator and District 9 lean into a feeling of hopelessness, Get Cool actually goes in the opposite direction. The standard EDM is still there, of course, but it brings in both hefty doses of rock and hip-hop to create what’s quite an enjoyable ride with the encouraging message to relax and not compare yourself to others. My favorite part would have to be the recurring “nanananana”s though; there’s just something about the unbothered, taunting energy they’re delivered with that makes me laugh every time I hear them. It’s solid all the way through, and one hell of a good time.

From the EP, I Am Who?, I enjoyed the big band swings in Question and the heavy dose of humor in Awkward Silence, but my hidden gem was easily Voices. Not only does it have a great build-up, but it has a powerful pay-off with such genuine emotion behind its refrain. It’s just great.

EP #4: I Am YOU!

Get Cool is definitely a departure from the sound Stray Kids have been creating thus far. Besides having a poppier, sunnier style that’s more usual for mid-2010’s k-pop, it’s also just more laid back and joyful than I was expecting. A lot of this is due to the music video, to be sure, which is drenched in shades of yellow, features quite a goofy dance, and seems one step away from being a behind the scenes video that they threw a filter on and decided was fine. I don’t think this is one of their best songs, to be honest, but it’s definitely fun.

From the EP, I Am You, I enjoyed the full, emotional chorus of I Am You and the fade out in Hero’s Soup. My hidden gem was 0325, with its encouraging lyrics and insistently catchy beat.

EP #5: Cle; Miroh

Though Stray Kids were absolutely popular before then, it was really Miroh that acted as their breakthrough, and it’s easy to see why. From Felix’s slightly terrifying slightly entrancing introduction to starting with its incredibly catchy EDM chorus to its incredibly fast rap breaks, it was destined for success. And that’s not even counting the visuals, which show the members…planning a coup? An assassination? Some kind of protest. You know, as a bunch of eighteen-year-old boys would in their free time. But seriously though, Miroh is a great song. It manages to do something that’s quite difficult, incorporating different tempos and even slowing down at points, but still keeping a tight structure. Its hook is repeated throughout, almost like a mantra, and if you manage to get through the song without it becoming stuck in your head, you’re a stronger person than me.

This release begins a new EP series, Cle. From this first EP, Cle 1: Miroh, I enjoyed the sweeping drumbeats of intro Entrance, the soft piano of Maze of Memories, but my hidden gem was definitely Chronosaurus, which balances softer verses and its EDM smash of a chorus.

EP #6: Cle; Yellow Wood

Side Effects is one of those songs that is difficult to make up your mind about, like SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong or NCT 127’s sticker, examples I use because I love the first one and despise the second for reasons I really can’t explain. Beginning with a slightly unhinged set of strings before working in an anguished scream and a man’s voice callously reading a list of—you guessed it—side effects, it’s impossible to listen to without needing to vigorously shake your head after. Which is the point, I want to be clear. Side Effects is less of a song than a performance, to be honest, but it’s a powerful performance, and really does capture the experience of feeling out of control in your own mind. I just don’t enjoy listening to it.

From the EP, Cle 2: Yellow Wood, I enjoyed the hook of TMT, and the laid-back beachside vibes of Mixtape #1. My hidden gem was the ruminating, soothing Mixtape #2, with its handclap-led percussion and stream-of-consciousness lyrics.

EP #7: Cle; Levanter

Double Knot is the first of two singles from the last EP in the Cle series, and also marks the last release Woojin was a part of. It feels like a natural successor to Side Effects, with a chorus that’s equally as hard-hitting as it is unbalancing. There isn’t enough of a build-up before it slams back down, and Double Knot seems to go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye, though it doesn’t have a clear reason for that, which leaves it in a weird space of both going too far to be enjoyable to listen to and not far enough for me to respect its boundary pushing. It’s just…there.

Levanter is the other single from the EP, and is a lot more my style than its predecessor was. It still communicates Stray Kids’ core message of being yourself and standing up to the forces that try to keep you down, but it does this with a far more uplifting and inspiring sound, similar to ATEEZ’ Turbulence. It’s more vulnerable than they’ve been in the last few songs,and when the final chorus takes off, it feels both earned and moving. So, we’ll leave off on a high note, here.

From the series’ final EP, Cle: Levanter, though I enjoyed both the solid chorus of Booster and the sweet lyrics of You Can Stay, my hidden gem was Astronaut. From the bright piano to the great buildup to the general feeling of warmth and encouragement, it’s just a little spot of sunshine.

Next time, we’re doing Part 2! Tschüss! (Part Three)