The second full-length album “NOEASY” by Stray Kids, released on August 23, quickly climbed the charts and debuted on August 31 at number five on the Billboard World Album Charts. Photo credit: Gabe Haferman | Image editing assistant
Stray Kids’ second full-length album, “NOEASY,” was released on August 23 and quickly climbed the charts, debuting at # 5 on the Billboard World Albums Chart on Tuesday.
Stray Kids, the eight-member K-pop group under JYP Entertainment, began promoting their new album on July 21st Song teaser and “Reveal” trailer that created a living story of improbable heroes battling an ominous “sound monster”.
Written and produced by the group’s leader, Bang Chan (Christopher Bang), along with band members Seo Changbin and HAN (Han Jisung), NOEASY features a range of fast-paced chart-toppers, sultry anthems, serotonin-boosting bops, and heartbreaking ballads, all incredible typical of the brand for the self-produced Idol group.
The title track “Thunderous” is currently number 3 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart. With clever, fast-paced, and powerful rap verses, “Thunderous” combines heavy beats and synths with traditional Korean instruments and other sounds like car horns while simultaneously supporting lyrics about originality, noise, and the opinions of others. the Music video because the song already has over 53 million views.
The first song on the album is “CHEESE”, which is intense and a little shrill at the beginning, followed by “Thunderous”, “DOMINO” and “SSICK”. All first four songs follow the bold, bass-heavy, aggressive style signature of Stray Kids.
Next up is “The View,” a song that makes life seem worth living with its lighthearted, addicting melody and optimistic tempo between verses. Starting with a gentle, careful verse by Hwang Hyunjin, the song touches the pride of a group that have overcome struggles in the past and seem to bask in the comfort of their growth.
“Sorry, I Love You” slows things down and makes a full 180 out of the mood previously set by “The View”. A song about intense, unrequited feelings of love for someone. This vulnerable hip-hop song features softer, more melodic vocals and arrangements that draw on the more emotional side of Seo’s songwriting.
Similar to their previous album “IN LIFE”, this album also contains unit songs – which typically only have two or three instead of eight members. The first of these is “Red Lights” with Bang Chan and Hwang. Though not explicitly listed, the melody and beat leave little to the imagination, and the lyrics paint a picture sufficiently vivid for those brave enough to translate them.
“Surfin ‘” shows Lee Know (Lee Minho), Lee Felix and Seo in an upbeat, dance-worthy pop song. Playful lyrics, accompanied by steel drums, make this a perfect song for summer, albeit a bit repetitive.
With only HAN, Kim Seungmin and IN (Yang Jeongin), “Gone Away” is a nice change from “Red Lights” and “Surfin”. The heartbreaking ballad features an unexpected, well-placed key change and breathtaking vocals.
Penultimate is the wild hip-hop song “WOLFGANG”, which was originally released for the K-pop survival show “KINGDOM: LEGENDARY WAR” Stray Kids won back in June. Re-released and with Hwang taking a hiatus during its first release, this song is dark and intense, both lyrically and musically. Accompanied by the sound of howling wolves in the background, the continuously building vocals, catchy chants and dark rap verses present “WOLFGANG” as a shocking example of unexplored potential for Stray Kids.
Those who know Stray Kids already expect loud and exuberant music, accompanied by creative and meaningful lyrics that lean on the phrase “noise music” to produce something funny and innovative. This album combines fast and clever, borderline angry rap verses, soulful and heartbreaking power ballads and feel-good pop songs into another album that is both new and exciting and a matter of course for Stray Kids.
In contrast to an uneven distribution of lines among members on previous albums, each Stray Kids member’s vocals shine in unique, never-before-heard and occasionally dramatic ways on “NOEASY”.
With virtually unlimited freedom in writing and producing their own music, Stray Kids takes full advantage of each member’s individual talent on this album while continuing to push the boundaries and expectations of K-pop while pushing the limits and creative devices of their own sound. Hardly any wishes remain unfulfilled from the 3-year-old group.
Rating: 4.5 / 5