Here are my credentials (again): 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.
Album #1: In Life
We left off just before God’s Menu, which is the song that really propelled Stray Kids to the level of fame they have now. I confess that this song has never been a favorite of mine, and I think it’s probably because it falls into the category of songs that have a fantastic, melodic build-up in their pre-choruses and don’t have a satisfying pay off. I know that Stray Kids can make this style work, and I’m unsure why it feels so different here. Perhaps part of it is due to its immense level of fame—nothing can really live up to half a billion views—but I think it’s also that God’s Menu’s chorus is not only an anti-drop but also a very simple vocalized line that is aggressively over-autotuned. And the verses don’t balance this out, instead embracing more in-your-face singtalk. To be blunt, I don’t enjoy listening to it.
Back Door starts in a way unlike any other Stray Kids song, with a disconcertingly gentle set of strings that soon morph into a percussive bass guitar. Weaving in some elements of funk and especially house, its odd structure keeps the listener on their toes without feeling disconnected from itself. In my opinion it’s what God’s Menu should have been; it skillfully uses an anti-drop with a fuller chorus that backs it up, and doesn’t lose any steam from that decision. And it has a great outro too, that despite being a little repetitive, wraps it up in a bow. It’s not a song that I go out of my way to listen to, but I think it’s objectively a much stronger one.
Gone Days is technically a special single, but I’m including it here for the purposes of variety. It’s a nice look at the sunnier side of Stray Kids’ discography, skipping along at a brisk pace with a simple yet catchy instrumental, and is a pun on the Korean word “kkondae”, which refers to the older generations. It’s a bit too laid back to be an anthem, but still feels like a plea on behalf of teenagers for the adults around them to have faith in their abilities and not keep the world stuck in the past. Also, the music video is just great; it’s so delightfully childish and cartoony while still managing to be emotional and sweet at points. It makes me smile every time I see it.
In Life is an enormous album, so there’s a lot I enjoyed, from the clever lyrics of The Tortoise and The Hare to the sunny My Universe to the synths-meet-EDM of Pacemaker to the carnivalesque mile-a-minute speed of Ta. I had two hidden gems. The first was the crying-on-the-dancefloor worthy Phobia. The second was Haven, a longtime favorite of mine, which is somewhat laid back until its smash of a chorus that it’s impossible not to sing along. It’s a great, consistent release that really gets at Stray Kids’ best.
Album #2: No Easy / Noisy
Thunderous takes a middle path between God’s Menu and Back Door. Like the former, it has an anti-drop at the beginning of its chant-heavy chorus, and like the latter, it’s very instrumental-reliant. It feels like it could be the soundtrack of a historical anime, and not just because of the magical animation that pops up every so often. Thunderous makes the choice to incorporate traditional Korean drums and flutes, which not only help soften the landing of its anti-drop but serve to make the song stand out from both Stray Kids’ other singles and k-pop as a whole. I didn’t like this song when I first heard it years ago, but analyzing it for this deep dive made it grow on me.
Cheese is a diss track if ever there was one, and though they’re common in k-pop, they aren’t usually so specific—or so funny. It’s a little bit like an updated version of My Pace, especially with the post-chorus’ vocalizing. But though I do enjoy watching it, admit I like the idea of Cheese more than I like the actual song. I think it suffers from the same catchphrase-chorus issue that God’s Menu does, and the humor isn’t enough to make me listen to it on its own, without the music video for support.
No Easy is also a full album, though not as long as In Life, and despite such bombastic singles, more laid-back in general. About halfway through, there’s this great run with the tropical-influenced The View, the confessional style Sorry I Love You, the synthy Silent Cry, and the vulnerable, minimalistic Secret Secret. It’s so hard to choose a hidden gem from those, but I think Silent Cry is my favorite by a thin margin. Outside of them, I also enjoyed the trap-based Red Lights and the EDM blitz that is Wolfgang, although the latter is more of a performance piece.
EP #8: Oddinary
Maniac was another huge hit for Stray Kids, and in my opinion, is a better representation of their strengths than God’s Menu is. Though it’s still very catchy and relies on their signature EDM, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It lets the audience in on its eschewing of social norms, while songs like God’s Menu and Thunderous (intentionally or not) put themselves above the audience. Don’t get me wrong, I have qualms with it too; I think that the chorus would be better with a stronger, more melodic hook, and I think that the transitions could be a little smoother. But overall, I enjoy the song, and it’s a fixture on my workout playlists.
There are a lot of music videos from this release, but, not having time for them all, I went with Lonely Street, which I admit is a personal favorite. In my opinion, some of Stray Kids’ most powerful work deals with mental health, and this song exemplifies that. It’s very powerful, and has what may be their most moving vocals. And even though it seems destined for a sad ending, there’s still a glimmer of hope; as the instrumental swells and the singing gets more desperate, the lyrics resolve to carry on and keep walking, no matter how difficult the road gets. Not to get too sappy, but it really shows the power of music, to go beyond language and carry emotion forward, and never fails to make me emotional.
From the EP, Oddinary, I enjoyed the buildup—especially Seungmin’s part—in Venom and great mix of pop-rock and ballad in Waiting For Us (my hidden gem), though the EP on the whole was a little too sing-talk heavy for me.
EP #9: Maxident
In a complete 180 from Lonely Street, Case 143 is likely the closest Stray Kids has ever come to bubblegum pop. It was also my first comeback as a fan, so that makes me a bit biased. It’s a weird one, all things considered, and a lot of that is due to its music video, which is best described as “someone was high when they made this”. Between the completely deadpan delivery and the lyrics’ utter bewilderment at the idea of a crush, Case 143 goes from what would be your average love song in someone else’s hands to a tongue-in-cheek pop extravaganza, and I’m all the happier for it.
From the EP, Maxident, I enjoyed the contrast between the upbeat piano and the otherworldly electro beat of Chill, but my hidden gem was Can’t Stop with its video-game-worthy synths and powerful guitar.
Album #3: SKZ Replay
FAM is really one-of-a-kind, being a track all eight members of Stray Kids wrote about each other’s quirks and how close they are. Is it the most unique in terms of song itself? No, it’s a fairly standard hip-hop track. But it gives room for Stray Kids real strength, which is great lyrics. Including lines like “we fall in love with the way his eyes fold as he smiles” about I.N. or “every night, you can see the stars in his constellation of freckles” about Felix or “sometimes he’s a weirdo, but he dances like Jagger” about Lee Know, it’s so personal and so clearly full of love that it’s impossible not to love it back.
Where to even start with SKZ Replay? It’s so outside of the usual for a k-pop album, being a compilation of unreleased and releases solos and unit tracks from the members. It’s almost an hour and a half long, and I don’t have time to go through the entire thing, so I’ll just hit the highlights for each member.
From Bang Chan, my favorite wasn’t actually a solo but his parts in Love Stay, which I thought really had a sense of heart. I did also like the song I Hate To Admit. Lee Know only has one piece alone, Limbo, which is a rock ballad about the inevitable end of a relationship. It was one of my hidden gems from the album; I had no idea he had such a nice voice! From Changbin, I enjoyed Streetlight, which also features Bang Chan. It’s very honest and vulnerable, while still keeping perfectly in time with a piano-led beat. The ending chant is great too. From Hyunjin, I was really moved by the gentle Miss You, which I believe he wrote for a pet who passed away.
Han has so many songs that it was difficult to choose, but I ended up between Happy and Wish You Back, which both have powerful deliveries and technically great lyrics. I really enjoyed Felix’s voice in Because, with Changbin. Seungmin’s synth-led Stars and Raindrops really makes the most of his great voice, and would be perfect for a kdrama soundtrack. I.N. of course has Maknae On Top, but I actually prefer the lighthearted, string-led Hug Me. If I had to give hidden gems, I’d say: Limbo, Streetlight, LoveStay, and Stars and Raindrops.
Next time, we’re wrapping this up with Part 3! Tschüss!
Let me know your thoughts!