TITLE: ODDINARY
ARTIST: Stray Kids
LABEL: JYP Entertainment
RELEASED: March 18, 2022
It’s always fun when the Kids release something new. Only a few months after their Christmas release, Stray Kids are back at the lab with something entirely new. New year, who dis?!
Maniac – Title Track
This was a surprising one for me. Experimenting with a more Middle-Eastern-inspired sound mixed with their usual hard-hitting chorus felt like a new turn for the group. on first listen I felt like this might be too way off course for the group but having Felix’s fan-favorite voice being the dominant one in the chorus really gets people attached.
Venom
Surprised we got a full song to start but I love how weird it sounds. Not crazy about pre-chorus as much as I thought I would be but the anti-drop trap vibe is really good.
Charmer
THIS SHIT HITS! The flutes piggyback off the Middle-Eastern sound from Maniac but Changbin and Han really stand out with their raps. Still a hip-hop song, this makes you want to really shake ya ass and watch ya self.
Freeze
Come through dubstep! I can actually either take or leave this song. It is something different and the verses and chorus are better than the pre-chorus, but could really be a good song for like the gym.
Lonely St.
This song feels like those punk covers of pop songs. The hook is really nice but the overuse of autotune gives this song a very artificial aftertaste.
Waiting For Us (Bang Chan, Lee Know, Seungmin, I.N)
Didn’t expect a soft pop ballad to really be my favorite song off this. The way their voices have matured and grown really shows in this. I get chills every time I play it. Really reminds me of the best part of the early 2000s.
Muddy Water (Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix)
Jazzy 90’s hip-hop aren’t words I would associate with Stray Kids. But here we are. I neither hate nor love it but it actually shows how Felix and Hyunjin can hold up against powerhouses Changbin and Han.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We are used to Stray Kids being experimental. They love to bang on their beat machines and see what pops out. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Is every song on Oddinary an instant classic? Not at all but it really shows how much these men love music and aren’t afraid to stay in the construction noise box. You can see different sound influences throughout all of the tracks on this mini and it works. I wouldn’t say it is their most memorable work but it really adds a nice flavor to their discography.
PRODUCTION : 4 / 5
VOCALS / RAPPING : 4 / 5
VISUALS / CONCEPT : 4 / 5
OVERALL: 4 / 5
Favorite Track(s): Waiting For Us, Charmer
Unbothered Unnies 