Yes, I know the album art screams, “GrApHiC dEsIgN iS mY pAsSiOn,” but on first glance, it doesn’t seem that bad. But once you stare at it long enough, you start to think “oh I can do this,” and then it starts to seem lazy.
If you don’t know who or what Stray Kids are, here is a brief introduction; Stray Kids is a Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017. They have 8 members and are a self producing group (in-house: 3RACHA). They have sold over 8 million copies of their albums worldwide.
Now that you have the introduction, let’s get into the actual topic of this post. 5 Star, the latest SKZ “comeback.” Even though they “cameback” a little over 4 months ago, Stray Kids once again showed how they can not stay out of the studio. The album consists of 12 tracks, including the title track S–Class, and lasts around 36 minutes. Most of the album was produced in-house by 3RACHA with help from Versachoi, Chae Kang-hae, and Millionboy, among others. I will now try to discuss every song on the album. These are my opinions, don’t come at me.
TRACK 1 「Hall of Fame」
Oh boy, the first track is named Hall of Fame, so that means their in the- oh never mind…
The album starts off with the titular Hall of Fame. The song starts off with a synth intro, and then Seungmin hits us with the lyrics. “I write my name into the stars right now.” Yes, those are the actual lyrics. Then, the group continues on about people calling their name, how they are in the hall of fame (actual lyrics). The instrumental is… okay. It’s not bad, actually. It’s, well, just fine. They use guitar and an old-school hip-hop “DUN DUN DUN DUN” sound that can be heard starting from 0:57 leading into the chorus. Oh, just so you know, Felix still scared me. Even though he came right before the chorus. Hilarious.
Even though Hall of Fame is just SKZ flexing their big egos on a song, it isn’t bad. The song gets catcher as you keep listening. Overall, a nice 8/10. It’s not an earworm like most SKZ songs from past, but it serves its purpose.
TRACK 2 「S-Class」
This is the title track! And who’s whistling in the beginning and why…?
Hello Changbin. He starts the song (can somebody turn him down?). Then the song transitions into verse one. Han does a rap for… 10 seconds? It’s extremely short for a rap part but serves a purpose, I think. Oh, there’s Seungmin and Felix, again, doing the pre-chorus. And, there’s the chorus. Annoyingly catchy.
“THAT’S ME!”
Whatever Korean gibberish their saying is annoyingly catchy. There is the earworm that I was talking about. We also get part 2 of the chorus right after. Green checkmark.
Overall, S-Class deserves to be the title track of an album- WAIT HUH.
A beat change can be heard starting at 1:15. Instead of a modern trap beat that plays at the beginning of the song, 3RACHA switches the beat into a more old-school approach. The first half of the rap verse starts off with Changbin and slides into Han’s part. The beat switch itself makes itself known by being pretty abrupt and mind-boggling. I mean, you were listening to S-Class. Is this another song already? Definitely sounds like it, doesn’t it?
Overall, a song like S-Class deserves to be a title song to an album called 5 Star. 5 stars indeed and well played SKZ, well played.
TRACK 3 「ITEM」
Item, item, item, PacMan.
This song has to be one of the objectively good songs on this album. It starts off strong with Changbin. Quickly switches over into the pre-chorus and then…
ITEM, ITEM, ITEM PACMAN, ITEM, ITEM, I ATE THEM ALL, GAME SET.
Nice play on words. Well done.
Overall, this song needs all the praise it can get. 10/10, SKZ well done.
TRACK 4 「Super Bowl」
I. Didn’t. Like. This. Song.
Hells Kitchen is not tasting devine. No, I don’t taste this in my system. No, I won’t open wide and have a bite. I already did, and I decided that it sucks. Sorry.
Okay, something positive. The beat is nice. The whisper singing is.. uh… weird, but it’s okay, I think.
Eh, it’s okay. 7.5/10. NEXT SONG!
TRACK 5 「TOPLINE feat. Tiger JK」
Another rap heavy song, I should like this.
Let’s keep this brief: Stray Kids did not miss on this. Everyone brought their A game, including Tiger JK. The rapping is A+. Here’s my problem with the song: it ended too early. That’s it.
Here’s another problem I have with the song: can we stop talking about you not giving a f***, or how you’re on top? Okay, we get it. You’re rich, and we’re peasants. Cool.
Tiger JK’s verse was a nice addition. I didn’t mind it.
Overall, this song deserves an 8/10. It’s an average song that you may hear on the radio. (Oh, Tiger JK rode the beat, that was fire.)
TRACK 6 「DLC」
Uh, okay.
Here’s a chill song. I guess this song is for when you’re driving and you just want to chill out. But the beat drop is so outdated, and it doesn’t fit. The song is fine by itself, but the drop after the chorus. If they had picked another synth, then it would have worked. But it didn’t. Sure, the song is catchy, but it sounds like something I would hear on SXM back in 2018. Sorry, but I know we’re all thinking that.
The songs production is actually nice here. But would I play the song again? Maybe it depends on the situation, but mostly no. Overall, 6/10. It’s average. And that’s okay.
TRACK 7 「GET LIT」
What is this funky beat? Oh God.
Speaking of the beat, nothing fits with what their singing about. I can’t “get lit” unless it’s the drop. And even then, gosh, Stray Kids ruins it with “we’re not gonna die young!” Please, BE QUIET. Let me enjoy a great beat for five seconds.
I have my many problems with this song, but overall, a nice 9/10. Production is great, and they didn’t say “star” or anything relating to how rich or famous they are, so that’s a plus.
TRACK 8 「Collision」
Oh wow, trumpets.
Tag this under songs that are depressing, but have a nice beat.
The beat makes me feel adventurous, and the lyrics make me feel emotions, exactly what we need from Stray Kids. I think the song can be summed up by the line, “Let’s go back to the day that we loved.” Sad.
10/10. No more words to describe how I feel.
TRACK 9 「FNF」
Why are we singing about a video game?
No, actually, we aren’t. FNF actually means Fuana and Flora, as relating to the Australian wildfires of 2020.
I have nothing bad to say about this. It’s a fantastic tribute song written by local Australian mates Chris and Felix. Production is splendid here and the drop is nice. 10/10.
TRACK 10 「Youtiful」
Is this shit even a word?
Beautiful vocals here, but is “youtiful” even a word? I guess so ’cause autocorrect hasn’t done anything.
Also, why is this song a bootleg country song? This sounds like something I would find at a local Tractor Supply store.
Let’s be serious here: the production is great, the country influences are there, and the vocals are amazing. The message that they present is wholesome. 10/10 song, jokes aside.
Phew, we’re almost done!
TRACK 11 + 12 「The Sound」+ 「MIXTAPE: TIME OUT」
Let’s start off with The Sound. It sounds better in Korean and not in forced Japanese. It’s sad that it sounds better in a language I don’t understand versus one that I do. Unfortunate, but it still stands that I don’t really like this song. Eh, 8/10.
Mixtape: Time Out is a summer rock anthem that enthrills you to hit the beach and ride the waves. It feels adventurous, and it is extremely catchy. Tasteful rock elements everywhere in the song. As a metalhead, I don’t mind this, I love it. Great summed anthem! 10/10 song. Good job SKZ!
And that’s all for the review for the new Stray Kids’ album 5 Star. Listen wherever you get your music from. After all, it’s free! I would recommend listening to the Tidal version with Dolby Atmos, it makes the listening experience more enjoyable. I personally loved this album. As a STAY in their third comeback phase, I found this album enjoyable. SKZ was doing what they are known for. Hope the return with more like this.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact me here: bmeshiningshinji@gmail.com. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME DEATH THREATS.
Thanks for reading this trainwreck.
Signed KBSDETOUR.
We Are Songproof 