I’ve been interested in K-pop since I was in eighth grade. I didn’t really know about Straykids until I was in high school. I mostly listened to EXO, BTS and Blackpink. Straykids and NCT have become more recent to my liking. Straykids came out with a new album last week and I finally had the time to listen to it!
Here is a little about Stray Kids for people who don’t know who they are. Straykids debuted originally in 2017 with nine members. Unfortunately, Woojin left in 2019 with undisclosed personal reasons that were never really made clear. The group still consists of Bang Chan (the leader of the group, rapper, and vocalist), Felix (rapper), I.N. (vocalist), Lee Know (vocalist), Changbin (rapper), Hyunjin (rapper), Han (rapper, vocalist),and Seungmin (vocalist).
The new album “Oddinary,” consists of seven tracks. “Venom” and “Maniac” are their top tracks on the album. The other songs on the album are called “Charmer,” “Freeze,” “Lonely St.,” “Muddy Water” and “Waiting for Us.” For this though, I will solely focus on “Muddy Water”, “Venom”, “Maniac”, and “Charmer”. I’m so excited to discuss my thoughts so let’s jump into it!
I will first start with “Muddy Water.” The rappers are the only ones on this song which means it’s Han, Changbin, Hyunjin and Felix. For starters, something that has been a really frustrating thing which I think many Stays can agree on (Stays is what the fans of Straykids are referred to), is that Hyunjin and Felix don’t get many lines in songs. Felix is known for his extremely deep voice and low range so he tends to be the person to make sound effects or repeat words that stick out. English is also his first language so his Korean isn’t as strong. He has worked on his Korean over the years, but since he is a K-pop idol, he is expected to sing and rap in Korean mostly. He might not get as many lines because of that or because he has such a deep voice, it’s hard to be given a lot of lines that suit his voice. He also originally joined JYP (this is the company he is under) as a dancer so he focuses more on dance than he does with rapping or singing.
Hyunjin on the other hand, has always been known for his visuals which has been really frustrating for him. He feels that a lot of people don’t look beyond his looks and forget the hard work he has put into as a dancer and rapper. Some people believe that his looks are the reason for where he is or how he has gotten as far as he has, but I personally believe that he is such a talented person, a hard worker and deserves much more credit than he normally gets.
Anyway, my point with that is in “Muddy Water,” they were given about 75% between the two of them, which made me extremely happy because it’s honestly the first time I can hear them clearly and really gain their style of rapping. I feel like a lot of times due to their lines being so short, I’ve never really figured out how they like to rap. I mean, of course I’ve heard them rap in songs but it’s always so short that I focus more on the idea that they finally had a line, that I don’t pay attention to the lyrics or style of it as much.
In “Muddy Water,” I think it for sure allowed Felix to be himself and to show off his deep voice. He also rapped in English, and it was just a really calming to listen to. He has a really good pace, and I just love the way he raps. For Hyunjin, his main rap was in Korean but he did sing one of the Choruses which was in English. I think again it allowed him to show off as well and over all the song is just a cute 70s/80s vibe. The opening reminds me of older black and white films. Even when the beat drops, it still maintains those vibes.
The next song I will discuss is “Venom.” The music video was amazing. I was speechless that I watched it over ten times because I couldn’t get over it. “Venom” has vibes very much like an action movie in the music video. Also, most of the lyrics discuss the idea that the person is trapped in a spider web and doesn’t know if they necessarily want to get out of it. They know the person has control over the situation and also that the poison from them is spreading throughout their body and it’s taking over. There is a line in the song that states, “you’ve got me wrapped around your fingers.” I think it was really cool that they were able to play around and had a pretty dark/tough concept. They had a lot of leather, chains and makeup that sharpened their features.
I thought it was cool how throughout the video, the person that was in control of the others switched. Changbin is able to get out of the handcuffs at the beginning of the video and messes with the other members as he watches them struggle. Felix at one point is in control of a spider and it’s just fun to see how they got creative with things like that. Also, members had really funny or good reactions to just the feeling of being controlled. Seungmin as he sings the line of “you’ve got me wrapped around your fingers” is trapped in a contraption of red string and looks frustrated with the fact that he can’t get out of it. Felix at the beginning of the music video when Changbin walks over and takes a selfie while he still can’t get his hands freed, has a reaction that you know doesn’t fit his personality which is why I find it funny.
Anyway, the song is very creepy, and this repeating noise that I honestly can’t find the words to describe it. The way geomijul is pronounced (the translation of this in English is something like spider web) is very spooky and Felix uses his deep voice to embrace it. I like the way Hyunjin has his own twist to it as well. To me, Seungmin and Bangchan has really nice vocals with the choruses, and I liked the way the run for the phrases “around your fingers.” I.N didn’t really get as many lines in this song as he did in “maniac.” Overall, I think the concept of the video and the song itself is probably my favorite one on the album.
The other song that I wanted to discuss was “Maniac.” This song was supposed to be about not being normal and just being more of yourself and letting your inner crazy out. I think that the concept for the music video was going for being a lot more chill and colorful. It was supposed to allow Straykids to be themselves and to just have fun. I think the song is very upbeat and fun. I loved the bright colors and the graffiti. I think Changbin and Han also had really nice raps in the song and overall, this song just lifted my mood. It was definitely contrasting compared to “venom.” You would honestly think that “maniac” would be crazier based on the title but they really throw you off when you watch the music video. Also, Bang Chan had beautiful blue hair and Changbin had lime green highlights which I think was a really fun way to play around with the hair colors and the clothing. I loved the part that right before Felix started singing the chorus, the birds started chirping. It goes along with how Felix is nicknamed sunshine or is like a ray of sunshine.
The last song I will talk about for this review is “Charmer.” “Charmer” definitely pulled me in and gave me a hard time moving onto the next song because I liked the beat of it so much. It was fun to just feel like you were being pulled in by their voices and the lyrics make you see how you slowly fall under their spell. I loved Felix’s deep voice when he would sing. If you can’t tell by now, Felix and Hyunjin are my biases in the group (In K-pop culture, the word bias is used to say who your favorite member is of the group, an ult bias is to say they are your favorite k-pop idol out of all idols) I think that Han had some really nice verses in the song as well. The thing that I really appreciate about Han is that he has the stamina to be able to rap a lot of syllables quickly while keeping a steady beat and tone. He never fails to impress me with how fast he can rap and just that he puts so much energy into it. He always does his best when he raps, and the hard work really pays off.
To end all of this, I just want to say that I think all of the members are so talented and hard working. They go above and beyond for their fans and are just really amazing people. Some of the members even write the songs and tunes for the albums which is outstanding. I hope you enjoy listening to “Oddinary” as much as I did!