K-Pop’s wildest 4th generation boy group, Stray Kids, is back with a message to their critics in the form of NOEASY (or NOISY), their second full-length album. 

The title track is the distinctly powerful Thunderous. While most K-pop songs have a “killing point” — a dramatic moment in the song or choreography that imprints on the audience’s memory — Thunderous is one killing point after another.

From Changbin’s opening rap to Seungmin and Bang Chan’s suspenseful pre-chorus and DanceRACHA’s groovy bridge, it’s the title track that keeps on giving. Both the song and visually stunning music video (which amassed over 50 million YouTube views in its first week — a Stray Kids personal best) use traditional Korean influences. Deep-voiced Aussie Felix closes the song with the line; “Keep on talking, we don’t play by the rules,” eloquently summing up the album’s intent.

NOEASY begins in true Stray Kids spirit with four back-to-back hype tracks. The boys have leaned into their signature “noisy” sound, unperturbed by the backlash surrounding previous records such as the psytrance-influenced Side Effects and the EDM-heavy God’s Menu. 

The latter half of the album, however, has such sonic variety that it becomes impossible to paint the group as a one-trick pony.

Lead B-side The View is a wistful palette-cleanser with an uplifting message, while Silent Cry is dark, intoxicating, and lyrically touching. Sorry, I Love You and Secret Secret are heartfelt, catchy ballads with lyrics written by members Changbin and HAN respectively, both part of the writing and producing team 3RACHA along with leader Bang Chan. The poppy Star Lost has an air of nostalgia about it, though is ironically somewhat lost among so many standouts.

Three sub-unit tracks follow, showcasing the group’s versatility. Prior to the album’s release, the boys launched the five-part YouTube series Howl in Harmony, which saw the sub-units composing the songs in various picturesque locations. While 3RACHA have always played a major role in writing and production, the series brought all eight members into the process, resulting in a musical flavour unique to NOEASY.

Red Lights (Bang Chan and Hyunjin) opens with heavy breathing before a powerful violin and guitar riff underlays the duo’s sultry vocals. Its highlight is the chorus, where Bang Chan’s voice bleeds into Hyunjin’s as they sing: “You know I can’t leave you alone” (translated from Korean). Meanwhile, Surfin’ (Lee Know, Changbin, Felix) is light and joyful. With its hip-hop groove and Lee Know’s breezy falsetto, the song feels like the audible equivalent of an ice slushie. In yet another direction, Gone Away (HAN, Seungmin, I.N) is a melancholy piano ballad featuring emotive vocals from some of the group’s strongest singers.

The album closes with the previously released singles WOLFGANG and Mixtape: OH. The former debuted in a theatrical performance in the final of the reality show Kingdom, in which the group won first place. The song now includes a verse from rapper Hyunjin, who had been on a four-month hiatus during Kingdom’s filming, bringing the gang back to full power.

With NOEASY, Stray Kids have turned the noise complaints to their advantage, giving us an unapologetic, hard-hitting sound, while proving beyond doubt that the group is capable of musical diversity.

Edited by Chelsea Cheetham.