Review: Stray Kids – "Ate"

It's been eight months since Stray Kids have released an album. That would be a quick turnaround for most bands but it's an eternity for a group that has published music with an impressive click since their debut in 2018. With each album release, the group manages to find greater success than their previous. But, what of their creative growth? Can their latest release, Ate, show a path where artistic and commercial success are possible?

Ate begins with "Mountains," a throwback to the days of the I Am and Miroh series. It's an anthemic track full of "whoas" and hand-clap percussion that depending on your mood will either elevate the listener or pummel them into submission. If you're listening to a Stray Kids album then you're probably prepared for the boom bass opening and will welcome its presence as I did.

The following song, "Chk Chk Boom" is a Latin-inspired hip-hop dance track that continues Stray Kids' impeccable history of no-miss title tracks.

In the intro video posted on the JYP YouTube channel, 3Racha member Changbin stated they initially attempted to create a more mainstream sound with this album however after failing to do so, they just focused on making Stray Kids music with an eye to the mainstream. Nowhere on the album is this better demonstrated than "Chk Chk Boom."

Despite being only 2:23 long, the song is designed as a spectacle. This is why the elaborate music video featuring Hollywood superstars Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds doesn't feel excessive. Quickfire rapping from Han and Changbin is punctuated with killing point vocals from Bang Chan, Felix, I.N., and Seungmin before Hyunjin and Lee Know carry the song home with chants that are ready-made for their recently announced world tour. It's one of their best songs and like all great songs, it only improves with each listen.

All of the brilliance of "Chk Chk Boom" means the next track has a tough act to follow but the dubstep banger "JJam" rises to the task. It's a bit of an odd duck of a song, but the heavy drum and bass work because it's pure Stray Kids. It's like a mash-up of "Side Effects," "Megaverse" and "Ssick." If "Chk Chk Boom" is ready-made for the tour, "Jjam" is ready-made for festivals like their upcoming headlining of Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Track four, "I Like It" continues the uptempo trend, but offers a sexier lyrical sentiment to adjust the mood. The lyrical claim of enjoying a situationship has become a meme during the album release, as members and fans alike debate the virtues of a casual relationship and if they're antithetical to a romantic soul.

The vibe shift is perpetuated further with "Runners," a Bang Chan/Felix co-written anthem containing the youthful earnestness of their earlier work. The verses are nothing special, but the song comes alive in its anthemic chorus where the group makes a claim for "G-O-A-T" status as they propel towards their future.

As with most Stray Kids albums, Han can be relied upon to provide a sentimental adjustment from the usual bombast and he does just that on "Twilight." It has a cool, bougie vibe thanks to its jazz-piano instrumental that transplants the listener to an eloquent hotel restaurant as we lament past relationship mistakes to our detriment.

The album closes with the self-titled track "Stray Kids" which concludes the anthemic motif beginning with "Mountains." The song juxtaposes a nostalgic look at what the octet has overcome with an eye to future achievements. I found some of the lyrical references awkward enough to risk the song falling to "Youtiful" levels of banality. But the members' sincerity in the context of their careers, elevates the song beyond my initial recoil

An additional festival remix of "Chk Chk Boom" is included as a way of making up the necessary eight-song limit that an album called Ate obviously needs. I don't think it adds anything and I would prefer the original at a live event.

Overall Ate won't change anything for anyone who has preconceptions of who Stray Kids are. If you like them, you'll like Ate. If you don't, then you can keep on moving. It's not exceptional or experimental enough to deserve a place among the best albums of the group, let alone their peers. However, it works as a stop-gap for a group still trying to find where it goes after having such phenomenal commercial success.

Rating: B