Throwback Thursday: Best of Stray Kids
Stray Kids recently made their summer comeback with their first full-length album. With a discography as bold and diverse as theirs, it’s easy to feel like these kings of hype have been with us forever. As a celebration of their return, let’s take a look back at some of the group’s greatest hits!
“Hellevator”
Taking it back all the way to the beginning, Stray Kids came onto the K-Pop scene with their pre-debut track “Hellevator” in 2017. The track was later released on their 2018 Mixtape EP, and set what would become a very strong tone for the group. With the 3RACHA trio of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han behind much of the song, pulsing beats, biting raps, and soaring vocals quickly became staples of the group’s sound.
“MIROH”
Off their fourth mini-album Clé 1: MIROH, the title song of the same name saw the group embrace EDM-dance beats, but not without one of 2019’s most powerful music videos. On top of being named one of the “Best K-Pop Music Videos of 2019” by Buzzfeed, “MIROH” also helped Stray Kids rise to the top of the Gaon Album Chart.
“My Pace”
“My Pace” headed Stray Kids’s second mini-album I am WHO, released in 2018. The song is driven by a heavy guitar riff, which serves to be a surprising but perfect offset to the raps in the song. On top of sounding like nothing you’ve heard before, “My Pace” is bound to get stuck in your head upon first listen: you’ll find yourself singing “Na na na na na na na na na na” the whole day.
“Get Cool”
“Get Cool” is the follow-up single from 2018’s I Am YOU and is certainly one of the group’s more playful releases, proving that Stray Kids can do it all. With just enough reggae vibes to make the track feel more like a summer song than the autumn release that it is, we’d say “Get Cool” is about as cool as Stray Kids can get—but of course we’d be lying.
“District 9”
Spearheading their debut EP I am NOT, “District 9” is about as quintessential Stray Kids as a song gets. With gritty guitars and EDM beats set against fast-paced rapping and explosive vocals, “District 9” is the kind of song that makes a statement, and with a debut as brilliant as Stray Kids’s, we think it’s safe to say the statement “District 9” makes is an undoubtedly bold one.