Stray Kids, arguably one of the bestselling and most internationally known K-Pop groups, dropped their second Japanese album GIANT in mid-November, roughly a month before the release of their highly anticipated Korean comeback HOP.
Having been a fan of Stray Kids’ music for a few years now, I’ve gained a few favorites and least favorites out of their discography by now. I still consider their 2021 album NOEASY a no-skip album, and I still listen to a majority of those songs regularly.
I’ve been a big fan of their Japanese releases from the past few years, with songs like “Scars” and “There” impressing me in the past and staying permanently on my daily playlist, leading to high hopes for this new album too!
“GIANT”:
An upbeat, action-packed title track to begin the album, “GIANT” is highly reminiscent of the expressive noise music that Stray Kids is typically known for. There’s a mix of Japanese and English lyrics that describe wanting more, not getting cocky, and pushing yourself. I admire that they stick to humbleness, even when rapping about their success and growth as musical artists. This was a fun song to start the album off with.
“NIGHT”:
With more of a Japanese-rock feel, this song describes chasing your dreams through an endless night. Personally, I enjoyed this song a lot, not only due to the musical background and the lyrics, but also because of how it slotted into my personal life. Despite the lyrics seeming a little intense at certain points, the overall message is positive.
“Falling Up”:
Possibly my favorite song from the entire album, “Falling Up” describes wanting to give up and give in, but not doing so in the end—resulting in feeling like you’re falling upwards, failing and succeeding at the same time. Similarly to “NIGHT,” I found a personal connection with this song and it really hit hard. I loved hearing the emotion in their voices as they sang the lyrics, and it felt like they really connected to the words they sang as well. The song has an especially strong start with member Felix’s deep vocals, and a sweeping closure with Felix’s voice closing out the song. This has to be one of my favorite songs of the year in the K-Pop sphere!
“WHY?”:
A loud, rebellious lyrical number follows the determined voice of the last song. “WHY?” is a fun listen, but not the most lyrically compelling after the initial verse, which I enjoyed with the sharp tone and words used.
“Saiyan”:
I’m enjoying the recurring theme in this album that describes not giving up and proving that you’re worth it, that you’re a success. It’s not so much about proving it to someone, but proving it to yourself and looking back on how far you have come. “Saiyan” talks about being a titan, an unbeatable monster that can get through anything they’re faced with. I had to listen to this one a few times to really understand the message, but I liked the stylistic use of autotune and overall, the meaning behind the song was good. This was a fun one to listen to.
“愛をくれたのに、なぜ” (Aiwokuretanoninaze):
Though the title track, “GIANT” was reminiscent of Stray Kids’ typical loud noise music genre, this song is reminiscent of their softer, slower ballads. I always look forward to the ballads on the albums that they release, because though their fast, intense rapping is impressive and fun to listen to, their softer and more melodic vocals are showcased in ballads like this one.
“Christmas Love”:
The side of me that enjoys corny Christmas songs really wants to say that this is my favorite song off of the entire album—but that would probably be a biased opinion, so I’ll just say that it’s one of my favorites. I truly enjoyed Stray Kids’ Christmas mini-album that was released back in 2021, titled Christmas EveL, and I was thrilled to see that they made a comeback in the holiday genre this year. This was fun, cute, and really put me in the Christmas spirit, though perhaps a little too early because I still have to get through finals. Overall, such a wonderful finish to the album, and I absolutely adored this song!
There were a few other songs on the album that I didn’t have much to say about, as they were re-releases of pre-existing songs, re-recorded in Japanese or English. “Chk Chk Boom -Japanese ver.-” is the Japanese version of their title track from their previous Korean comeback, titled ATE. Additionally, both “NIGHT” and “Falling Up” have English versions that are added on to the end of the album. All three are great songs, but there’s not much to be said about them since the Japanese and Korean versions have already been released.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this album! Stray Kids has yet to disappoint me with a comeback yet, and this was such a fun listening experience. I’ll be listening to “Christmas Love” all throughout this December, and surely the next as well!