“Thunderous” Applause for Stray Kids´ New Album NOEASY

Stray Kids is back with their first album since winning the idol group competition show, Kingdom: Legendary War. On August 23, the boy group released NOEASY, a 14-track album featuring songs “Thunderous,” “DOMINO,” and the previously released “Mixtape : OH.” This album also contains three sub-unit songs: “Red Lights,” “Surfin’,” and “Gone Away.” It is easy to say that Stray Kids has found their sound and style, and now they're taking the opportunity to show off their skills. 

The first song on the album, “CHEESE,” is a musical contrast between hard hitting beats and funny lyrics. The message behind it is a call-out to haters who laugh at the group and don’t take them seriously. The lyrics themselves are a combination of listing off different kinds of cheeses and using cheesy lines like, “Are these grade-A vibes funny to you?” Overall, it's a bit confusing whether Stray Kids wants their haters to stop laughing at them or laugh along with them. 

The next song is “Thunderous,” the comeback single. Leading up to the release, the idol group did a series unveiling eight of the tracks on JYP Entertainment’s YouTube channel. They released the official music video for “Thunderous” on the day of the album drop and by noon (CDT), the video already had over five million views. The music video is a mix of old and new, combining modern technology like speakers and cars with a Joseon-style setting. It also flips back and forth between live-action and colorful animation. The song by itself is exciting to listen to, so adding the beautiful and intricate visuals makes it that much better.

Everyone shines in “DOMINO,” as each verse seems to highlight the members’ exact skills. However, the chorus is probably the most interesting part, as the repetitive lyric “Domino” is backed by ascending and descending scales. This song is exactly what you would expect out of the group with its multiple instrumental style changes and intense beat.

“SSICK” sounds like it was made for a spy movie. This song is all about showing off, but unfortunately, there isn't much that is very special about this song. It's fun to listen to and is a solid addition to the album, but it probably won't be your favorite.

Next is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. “The View” has an upbeat vibe and the ambient synths are the ear candy that make the song so addictive. This song is one that is going to be great live, but for now, is just as great to blare in the car.

Interestingly, “Sorry, I Love You” gives reformed, nice guy vibes with the whole premise of apologizing for having one-sided feelings and for pressuring the other person. Obviously one-sided love is definitely a feeling that all of us can relate to, and that makes this song a great smooth ballad to get all of your feelings out.

An even better ballad on this album is “Secret Secret.” This song comes after “Silent Cry,” which is similar to “SSICK” in that it is a good song but probably won't be your favorite. “Secret Secret” compares rain to dark feelings and the heaviness of both. It tells the story of pulling through those feelings alone and keeping them as a secret so they don't burden others. It is a beautifully written and performed song.

Whether you´re blaring “The View” in your car or not, you´ll definitely be blaring “Star Lost.” The musicality will remind you of old K-Pop, but Stray Kids has mixed it with their own style to make something fresh and nostalgic.

Now, the killer of the album: “Red Lights.” When we heard that Bang Chan and Hyunjin were teaming up for this one, we knew it was going to be sexy and powerful, but this exceeded all expectations. The beat is slow and sensual and sounds very similar to “River” by Bishop Briggs, but these two bring their own masculine fragility to the song that ties into its dark opulence. The teaser video for this song embodies the vibes perfectly, and it definitely goes down in the books right next to “Baby Don’t Stop” by NCT U as a powerful and sexy sub-unit bop.

In contrast, “Surfin’” is happy and fresh with no darkness in sight. Lee Know, Felix, and Changbin show off their cute, carefree sides that go well with the bubbly beat. We will be vibing to this song all year, and it will be perfect for when summer comes around again.

“Gone Away” is all about emotional vocals with Han, Seungmin, and I.N. singing their hearts out over a slow, orchestral melody. This powerhouse of a song is one of the most beautiful that Stray Kids has ever done and we hope it sparks inspiration for more songs like it. 

The album rounds out with “WOLFGANG,” which was the original song the group won with on Kingdom: Legendary War, and “Mixtape: OH,” which was released as a single back in June.

Overall, this was a very strong release for the idol group and clearly a compilation that they put a lot of thought into. There is something on it for everyone, from hardcore bangers to slow, heart-wrenching melodies, and a few fun bops in between. NOEASY shows just how strong and diverse Stray Kids is as a group and gives testament as to why there are “Stray kids everywhere, all around the world.” Stays should be very proud of their group.