By Lillian Gutsch,
Managing Editor.
“Stray Kids everywhere all around the world!” This is the infamous line that the K-pop boy band Stray Kids says at their concerts. Stray Kids is the face of the fourth generation of K-pop, having released over 330 songs and a total of 27 albums. They explore a series of different genres and subgenres in their music, ranging from EDM to Electro Rock and Alternative Rock to Hip Hop to Contemporary R&B. They also explore the use of different languages in their music. With all members being fluent in both Korean and English, they also have learned other languages on top of that. They have created English versions of songs, Japanese versions and have even incorporated Spanish and French into some of their lyrics.
On Aug. 22, they released a brand new album titled “KARMA.” The album sold over 3 million copies in the first week, and the band gained an even larger following of fans. On top of the fans that already bought the album, the surge in popularity since the album’s release has caused many more people to start listening to the band.
The Stray Kids production group, 3Racha, explained on their YouTube that this album is unique among their discography. The album is entirely themed and each song is crafted to reflect that theme.
Now you may ask: what exactly is the theme? Well, it’s none other than “Ceremony,” which is also the name of the album’s title track.
The album has 11 songs, two of which are different versions of “Ceremony.” “I feel that all the A sides of the album sound really similar. They’re all very hype,” said junior Jace Sullivan. There is a nice mix of upbeat songs included, such as “Bleep,” “Ceremony” and “Half Time,” along with some mellow-toned songs like “0801” and “Mess.”
While there is definitely much love given to the more upbeat and fast paced songs, there are songs for people who like a more calm beat. “[I like] In My Head,” said junior Sophia Van Blair. “It’s the tempo, the beat of it.”
This album came as a bit of a surprise to fans, as Stray Kids announced the album release only weeks before the end of their DominATE World Tour. Some fans were concerned about the artists not getting their much deserved break, but couldn’t help their excitement for the new release. The album was a huge hit, and reached #1 on the Billboard 200 in the US with 313,000 hits, 296,000 of which were in album sales in the first week of sales.
If you’re looking for new music to listen to, check out Stray Kids; they’re bound to get you hooked.
