The incessant blare of a automobile horn; the siren keening down the road; the substitute chirp of a digicam; the clang of pots and pans; the impish giggle of a stranger. To some, it is simply noise. To others, it is one thing extra: an anthem, a declaration, a music. On their newest album NOEASY, Stray Youngsters excellent their skill to make even the quiet components unabashedly loud, exhibiting us methods to stay with the noise — not run away from it.
Because the South Korean group’s second full-length launch in a bit over a 12 months, NOEASY is teeming with angle. (Even the typography is yelling at you, eschewing the web’s collective lowercase fixation for a overtly all-caps proclamation.) It is a cheeky play on phrases, a sharp response to critics who say Stray Youngsters do not make music, they simply make noise. On NOEASY, written and composed primarily by the group’s in-house manufacturing trio 3RACHA (made up of members Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han), they not solely lean into this distinction, they personal it. They’re noisy. So what? Album opener “CHEESE” (once more, all caps!) roars to life with a dirty guitar riff earlier than rapper Han smugly reminds naysayers, “No matter you say, it is all enjoyable to me / Thanks, I find it irresistible / Gonna create chaos with our nonsense now.”
“CHEESE” is tangy and self-indulgent, a style of the spicy mala style the raucous octet has change into synonymous with because the launch of 2020’s breakthrough hit “God’s Menu.” If Stray Youngsters’ early discography was outlined by rising pains and large, existential questions — Who am I? The place do I belong? Why do I really feel this manner? — then “God’s Menu” marked a definite turning level of their sound and intentions. They’re not asking questions; they know who they’re.
NOEASY expands upon that conceit. “Carry on speaking, we do not play by the principles,” Felix booms on “Thunderous,” the album’s braggadocious lead single. The music itself is extra of a press release: “I am not sorry, I am soiled,” chief Bang Chan asserts on the hook (“sorry” is a homonym for the Korean phrase “소리,” or sound, implying that they know the music they make will be harsh and overblown). A bombastic mixture of loud, brassy synths and conventional Korean instrumentation, “Thunderous” ensures that Stray Youngsters cannot be ignored. “I’ll all the time say what I’ve to say,” Lee Know sings earlier than spitting into his arms in a daring show of defiance with a “ptui, ptui, ptui.”
They’re nonetheless the identical reckless outsiders from “District 9,” difficult the oppressive established order at each flip, however now they’ve realized methods to channel their angst into bravado and wield it with function. It is all about perspective. Why be indignant about being misunderstood and undervalued once you will be coolly detached? Boastful hype tracks like “DOMINO” and “SSICK” are the merchandise of such assured insouciance. “Come on,” Lee Know drawls in the beginning of “SSICK.” “All people have a look at me.” It is easy to think about the dancer delivering the road with a understanding smirk and a shrug.
But, there are moments amid the swaggering chaos that reveal the group’s cautious precision. They embrace the traits that make them uniquely human — the hubris and vulnerability — and revel within the sense of freedom that comes from actually understanding your self. Even their feelings are amplified. This maturity is greatest exemplified on “The View,” a breezy b-side with feel-good vibes and hovering synths. It is a standout monitor for Hyunjin and Felix, who show that they are dexterous rappers in their very own proper. “Again then, the place was huge like a desert,” Felix raps. “Now it’s a vast subject the place I need to run.”
On “Sorry, I Love You,” Changbin sharpens his pen, revealing the rapper-producer’s innate expertise for dialing up the emotional depth and lyrical specificity. Whereas Changbin has a knack for expressing immediacy by means of sheer, blunt power, Han likes to linger in his emotions. “Secret Secret” highlights his genius for writing cozy melodies and articulating common ideas of self-doubt and temporal dread. It is nothing we have not heard earlier than from the multitalented artist (see: “One other Day” and “Sunshine”), however Han is barely changing into extra brazen in his introspective abilities.
NOEASY, nonetheless, actually gleams when Stray Youngsters step out of their consolation zone. The liquid drum and bass outro on “Domino” is electrical, evoking the spirit of previous songs like “0325” and signaling Bang Chan’s penchant for unconventional EDM. “Silent Cry,” composed by 3RACHA and Hong Jisang, who usually works with labelmates DAY6, is seamless in its rhythmic dissonance and regular propulsion. The dramatic “Purple Lights,” from Bang Chan and Hyunjin, is explicitly horny — a primary for the group, if solely on a unit monitor — with its guitar crooning and sultry vocals (whispers, whines, and vocal fry galore). And “Gone Away,” from members Han, Seungmin, and I.N, is a correctly heartwrenching ballad from three of the group’s most emotive vocalists. In the meantime, Surfin’, a enjoyable, frothy bop from wildcard trio Changbin, Lee Know, and Felix, possesses a massively catchy hook that appears destined for TikTok virality.
In Stray Youngsters, everybody can sing and rap, and NOEASY does spotlight this versatility, whether or not it is Hyunjin additional growing his placing falsetto on “Purple Lights” or Felix lending his smooth, candy vocals to “SSICK” or the return of feisty rapper Lee Know on “Thunderous.” One of many many advantages of being the architects of their very own music is that 3RACHA permit each member to shine. It offers everybody the chance to be loud, to be as thunderous as doable.
The factor about noise is that, sure, it is loud. But it surely’s additionally impactful. And in a digital age after we’re all distractedly streaming and doomscrolling on a number of units, first impressions matter. Stray Youngsters have by no means been refined, and so they’re not about to start out now. “It is time for ignition,” they sing on “DOMINO.” However the automobile is already cruising down the freeway, engine screeching — and you may’t look away.
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Need extra from Teen Vogue? Verify this out: Stray Kids Talks New Album “NOEASY” & Embracing Their Noise Music Label
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