ATE: Mini Album (Letter Ver.)

「幸運を運ぶSKZ?!」愉快な魅力を盛り込んだ新アルバム!
Stray Kids、約8ヶ月ぶりとなるニューミニアルバム『ATE』発売!

公開されたアルバムメイントレーラーには幸運をもたらすフォーチュンクッキーブランド「ATE」の広告モデルとなったStray Kidsの姿が描かれた。
アルバム名『ATE』を破って食べて幸運を占うフォーチュンクッキーというユニークな素材でうまく解き放った広告コンセプトの上にクオリティ高い映像美に出会える豊かなコンテンツが新譜に向けた好奇心を極大化する。

独創的なグループの色と個性を装備し、世界舞台を歩き回っているStray Kidsが、新しいミニアルバム『ATE』を通じてワールドワイドファン心を掌握すると期待を集める。

2023 proved a head rush of a year for the Stray Kids: pushing their already wild sonics in new directions with 5-STAR and ROCK-STAR, the K-pop noisemakers entered a new era of global acclaim, landing back-to-back number one albums globally amid polarized reactions from existing Stays. Fortunately for more traditionalist fans, their first project of 2024 runs a little closer to their roots: ATE negotiates between the groups original sound and their recent comebacks, a sonic rush peppered with references across their career. It would be hard to discuss ATE without launching right at its title track, "Chk Chk Boom," which makes a compelling case for being the groups all-time greatest title tracks. A saccharine compression of Latin sonics with strong individual performances from each of the groups members, the track is everything that makes Stray Kids tick -- loud, dynamic, and rule-breaking at every step. Of course, the kind of kitschy one-offs that infect most of K-pops relationship with Latin music are here ("La vida loca," "amigo," "vamos"), but their play with reggaeton is surprisingly fresh, teasing the similarities between dembow and EDM drum patterns before exploding fully into reggaeton by the second chorus. With verses as strong as Changbins here, its hard not to get swept up in the ride. The mini-albums eight tracks follow the same rough progression of 2023s ROCK-STAR, opening with headstrong anthems before bringing the pace down with B-sides "Twilight" and "Stray Kids." "Mountains" traces its titular peak with strutting bass guitars and stadium-status choruses; the tracks jagged "mountains, mountains" refrain, split between seven of the groups members, solidifies it as a vital opener. While drill and drumnbass race against each other on "I Like It" and "Runners," its "JJAM" that makes for the most unique genre-bend here, whipping between rap and electronic styles amid harmonies of "peanut butter jelly time" and "sticky, sticky, sticky jam." Its the kind of track that only K-pop can deliver. For the long-standing Stays, theres a whole breadcrumb trail of throwbacks here: "JJAM" interpolates the hefty sounds of 2021s "Domino," "Stray Kids still gonna rock on the Hellevator" offers an affirming toast to their origins, and the one-liner "I know, you know, Lee Know" proves a personal favorite callback to "The Tortoise and the Hare." But its the lofty "Stray Kids" that offers the best reflection of the groups journey thus far, assuring Stays of the groups future ("there aint no last step out"), rallying behind shouts of "Stray Kids" and nodding to "Blueprint," "Backdoor," and the Cle series in its nostalgic promo video. Its only fitting that Bang Chan, who chose each of the groups members individually back in 2017, delivers the last lines here; ATE brings things full circle on the groups colossal, and well-deserved, success. ~ David Crone