Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
Who is Stray Kids?
After competing in a competition show called Stray Kids to become JYP Entertainment’s new boy group, Stray Kids debuted in 2018. Since then, the group has gained massive success breaking records, and have toured around the world. The unique part about Stray Kids is how involved in the music they are. The leader, Bang Chan, is a producer for all of their music and a part of 3RACHA as a writer. 3RACHA is three members of Stray Kids: Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, who co-write together on every project for the group. Having a group self-produce and self-write their music is sort of rare in the K-pop world where they have writing camps held for big-time writers and producers to make the music.
The eight-member group is an abundance of talent, earning four #1 albums on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. Last month, the group performed at BST Hyde Park, headlining the iconic festival in the UK, and are set to headline Lollapalooza in August. Stray Kids have a massive global presence, including being the first-ever K-pop group to attend the Met Gala. Tommy Hilfiger brought the eight-member group as the members are ambassadors for them. Also, Stray Kids have won the Korean competition show called Kingdom. Kingdom is a competition show between multiple male groups, and they beat five other male groups.
Stray Kids will embark on an upcoming global world tour starting this year and continuing next year. dominATE the tour will first start in South Korea and make its away around Asia from August through September. Additionally, dates for the other legs of the tour, including North America, are yet to be announced.
“CHK CHK BOOM” Title Track Review
On July 19, Stray Kids released a new mini-album called ATE with the title track, “Chk Chk Boom.” The track is classic Stray Kids, with a bunch of different noises appearing in the instrumental. The production is very in-your-face with a hip-hop and Latin flair to it, as well as an intense drop in the chorus. To continue the Latin flair, there are multiple Spanish phrases that appear in the track. It is very catchy and has high energy, which the group is known for. According to Genius, “It’s about the confidence of aiming perfectly at the target you want to hit. The infectious loop, languid, unique top line, and lyrics over a Latin-influenced hip-hop rhythm with a Stray Kids twist make it a new favorite.”
The music video is top-tier production and includes incredible cameos. Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, and Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, appear in the video as newscasters saying something unusual is going on. The unusual thing going on is Stray Kids: they are blowing up random things and are labeled “dangerous.” Ryan Reynolds has been an open fan of Stray Kids, posting about them on Twitter and befriending leader Bang Chan and Felix as they speak English fluently. I think the music video is incredible as they always are because of their high budget and commitment to making what feels like a short film.
ATE Review
Overall, this mini-album is full of absolute bangers, including eight songs. Within the eight songs is a festival version of the title track, “Chk Chk Boom,” which is basically a remixed version with even more energy than the original. My favorite track off of “ATE” is the b-side “twilight.” It is a soft R&B piano song that feels different from other Stray Kids tracks. They were still rapping, but it just felt calm and not in your face. This is a great contrast from the usual upbeat dance club songs the group tends to go for. The calm chill vibes with the smooth production and effortless vocals were amazing.
Secondly, another favorite track was “MOUNTAINS.” The high-energy first track off the album is powerful and feels anthemic. The electric guitar and drum combo is perfect against their effortless rap flows and melodic singing. It feels very infectious as a song and sounds similar to their previous releases in the best way possible. I love the growl in their voices during the chorus, and the rap line truly shines on this track. Having crazy hard-hitting tracks such as “MOUNTAINS” and a soft-spoken song like “twilight” shows their versatility. This also shows that the group can fit any concept and make multiple kinds of music during each comeback. Check out the album below!
