As Stray Kids return with their multifaceted new mini album "THIS & THAT," they have shared behind-the-scenes stories from working on the album.
Stray Kids will release their mini album "THIS & THAT" and its title track "This & That" at 1 PM on August 7. With domestic and international fans paying keen attention to this new release following last year's "DO IT" from their SKZ IT TAPE, which made them the first artists in the world to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard main chart "Billboard 200" for eight consecutive times, JYP Entertainment heightened the excitement on the afternoon of the 4th by posting an intro video titled "Stray Kids [INTRO "THIS & THAT"]" on the group's official social media and YouTube channels, featuring the eight members talking about the new release.
True to the album name "THIS & THAT," the new release captures Stray Kids' versatile sides of handling this and that, along with a justified sense of confidence. Among the total eight tracks, the music that Stray Kids put the longest time and effort into completing is the title track "This & That." According to the members, the title track took the longest to work on because they were extremely careful during the process of arranging the hook lyrics.
The birth story behind the song title also draws attention. According to the members, during a break while working, they shared snacks and exchanged phrases like, "Everyone, eat some of this, eat some of that," and this expression naturally led to the chorus melody on the spot. In the lyric-writing process, a lot of effort went into selecting the words to express "this" and "that."
The music video for the title track, which carries a Korean atmosphere, was filmed over a total of five days, three of which took place on location in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The members shared their thoughts, saying, "It felt like filming outdoors for the first time in a while instead of a set. There was a unique romance to location shooting outside Seoul." The choreography work, which went through multiple revisions until they achieved a satisfying result, was also introduced as part of the behind-the-scenes stories.
The new album, entirely worked on by the group's in-house producing team 3RACHA members BANGCHAN, CHANGBIN, and HAN, is richly packed with B-side tracks of various charms. The pre-release tracks "RUN IT" and "After You" were worked on locally in Los Angeles, USA, while "FARMING" inspired by the meme "aura farming," the refreshing "After You," the 2000s pop music-vibe "I Do," "Way Out" utilizing various languages, "Back Then" which Han made inspired by a drama, and "This & That (Festival Version)" that allows listeners to enjoy the title track even more excitedly, fill the album colorfully.
Meanwhile, ahead of their new album release, Stray Kids kicked off their new world tour "Stray Kids World Tour <RUN IT>" at the Seoul KSPO DOME on July 25-26, July 29, and August 1-2. Having hotly warmed up the comeback excitement with a total of five sold-out shows, Stray Kids will return to music broadcast stages through this comeback after about 10 months.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)