Album Review - STRAY KIDS: 樂-STAR (ROCKSTAR)
Stray Kids wins Best K-pop award (Image via Twitter/@bangcvnt)
Stray Kids has skyrocketed in popularity across the K-pop scene and the globe. The eight members: Bang Chan (leader, vocalist, rapper, producer, dancer), Changbin (rapper, producer), Han (rapper, vocalist, producer), Lee Know (lead dancer, dancer, vocalist), Hyunjin (dancer, rapper, visual), Felix (dancer, rapper, vocalist), Seungmin (vocalist), I.N (vocalist, maknae: youngest member of the group) recently traveled to this year’s Video Music Awards (VMAs) and claimed their win for Best K-pop on September 12, 2023. With multiple albums previously reaching number one on the Billboard Top 200 list such as Oddinary (EP), 5-Star, and Maxident, it’ll be exciting to see how this album matches up with their previous work.
Still image from Stray Kids "락 (樂) (LALALALA)" M/V — JYP Entertainment
The title track “LALALALA” has a techno piano sound at the beginning and carries a catchy tune in the background throughout the whole song. Right off the bat, Changbin starts rapping and the song then throws you into this headbanging, rock world. The instrumentals build to the chorus using a hard bass while soft vocals are emphasized by members Seungmin and I.N. This build up then drops to the song’s main lyrics ‘lalalala’ before bursting into the chorus itself. The chorus has pretty repetitive phrases such as:
“Just feel the rock
We let it rock
Just feel the luck
We let it rock”
Changbin then busts out with more rap by saying ‘rock’ repeatedly in Korean which sounds very similar to ‘lalalala’ and creates a staccato sound. The choreography during this part is very satisfying as the moves correlate to this staccato sound in the song. Even in the music video, the cameraman moves along with their aggressive head banging and makes the visual and hearing aspect of this song even more appealing.
This track leans heavily in rapping and even vocalists are dipping into some rap lines which is cool to see. Since Stray Kids are known for their impressive rap line which is even a subgroup of the group called 3RACHA (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han), it’s nice to see this track being led by this powerhouse team.
My personal favorite tracks are ‘COMFLEX’ and ‘MEGAVERSE’. Both songs could be considered noise music, but give completely different moods. ‘COMFLEX’ starts off with an alarm type sound effect and immediately starts off with rapping. I really appreciate Bang Chan’s cocky talking/singing part in the song with the lyrics:
“Too bright I’m so flashy
Different? No, I’m unique
That’s right I’m so classy
Nobody can stop me”
Also, this is the first song I’ve heard where explicit lyrics are used in the middle of the song without covering or abruptly stopping halfway of the curse word. You’ll see that not a lot of groups curse freely like this as it is not allowed most of the time. Idols themselves are strongly prohibited in cursing during interviews, variety shows, or any form of public relations.
Lastly, there’s ‘MEGAVERSE’ which honestly feels like I’m about to go to war in the multiverse. The beginning sounds like a marching band and is mixed with so many techno sounds. What draws me to this song is the beginning where Felix starts the journey with his deep voice counting to three in French and then rhyming with the rest of the following lyrics following Bang Chan’s Australian accent really shining through during his rap:
(Felix)
“Un, deux, trois
Run along with the gods
Jumping between every verse
The multiverse ain’t ready for our universe (Jump Force)”
(Bang Chan)
“First, second, third, fourth wall
We’re breakin’ them all, unbeatable score
Our composition brings the competition
But we’ve already won in this Megaverse”
Then again, Changbin comes in with his signature precise, staccato rap and it leads into an incredible song filled with strong vocals, beat dropping, and super catchy rhythmic techno sounds that you should really check out!
Overall, this album was a nice surprise regarding lyrics and the insert of explicit words. Although the title track is not my favorite compared to others, the b-sides have grabbed my attention yet again. I highly suggest you check this group out whether it be from this album or from some previous songs that are absolute gems.
Label: https://www.jype.com/en / Japan: https://www.straykidsjapan.com/n
Website: https://straykids.jype.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JYPEntertainment, https://www.youtube.com/@StrayKids / Japan https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXhj2pPWvONXmvgHX5wllCA
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/stray-kids/1304823362
Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCIMmuidNJdncfMEelOU08Fgm
Social Media
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realstraykids/?hl=en, https://www.instagram.com/3racha/?hl=en / Japan https://www.instagram.com/straykids_official_jp/
*each member has an individual instagram account as well*
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JYPEStrayKids/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jypestraykids / Japan https://www.tiktok.com/@straykids_japan