Songs of the Week delves into fresh songs we can’t forget.Find these tracks and more on our site Spotify Top Songs playlist, plus new songs from our favorite emerging artists, check out our Spotify’s new voice playlist. This week, the Stray Kids land their latest comeback with the energetic single “S-Class.”
The members of K-pop group Stray Kids—Bang Chan, Lee Ji Ji, Chang Bin, Hyun Jin, HAN, Felix, Seung Min, and IN—have a gift for transformation when they hit the stage. In conversation or interviews, the band members are polite and sweet; however, their acting personas are another story.
Stray Kids are known for making unapologetically loud music (their 2021 record Noy poking fun at the critics, the album artwork confirms that they enjoyed the joke a lot). Their in-house production team 3RACHA, made up of members Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN, also shaped the direction of the band in terms of lyrics, with Bang Chan taking the lead.
Stray Kids’ music gives them room to be more exaggerated or provocative than they can be offstage. Take “3RACHA” in 2022 for example, where HAN shrugs and says “yes, I’m famous”, or later Bang Chan says “Our copyrighted numbers will never stop” / Because we’re still building, keep it comin’/Why are you angry? (With nearly 100 songs to his name, it’s a flexibility he can support.)
In their latest version, a program called five star, Stray Kids broke a major record: With 4.93 million pre-orders, it now holds the title of the most pre-ordered album in K-pop history. Anticipation is clearly high, and lead single “S-CLASS” delivers all the energy the group is known for. “They want to know how my spotlight is so bright,” Felix sings, before the crew breaks into a rambling chorus before diving into one of their best dance moves.
Although they take their jobs seriously, the Stray Kids also have a flip side to the coin, leaving room for plenty of silliness. Parts of the music video for “S-Class” are ridiculous – alien attack? certainly! Lovely choreographer in the stairwell attacked? why not! It’s funny, it has an infectious dynamic, and it borders on campy. The stars of Stray Kids continue to rise, and they’ve grown up with us, riding in the S-Class — the most luxurious place, according to Seung-Min.
— Mary Sirokey
Associate Editor