[Album Review] ATE (9th Mini Album) – Stray Kids

1 month ago 14

Stray Kids made their comeback in July 2024 with their 9th mini-album ATE. While I have reviewed the tracks that had a music video a while back before I took my break, I have yet to review the full mini-album until today. ATE features the title track Chk Chk Boom and 7 side tracks (including a remix of the title track). It follows on from their 2nd studio album, ROCK-STAR, and the lead single LALALALA.

Once again, Stray Kids pulled off another strong mini-album release, with most tracks being unskippable. ATE is undoubtedly another highly recommended mini-album of the group. Read on to see if you agree with me!

1. MOUNTAINS – Click here for the review for MOUNTAINS. (10/10)

2. Chk Chk Boom (Title Track) – Recognising how much the song has grown on me, I have decided to bump up the rating for Chk Chk Boom by a full point. Click here for the original review for Chk Chk Boom. (8.5/10)

3. JJAM – Click here for the review for JJAM. (9/10)

4. I Like It – I Like It raises a few red flags within its lyrics. It expresses the idea of liking someone but not wanting to fall in love with them. Despite the red flags, I Like It comes off as catchy and cute thanks to its pop roots. The “Ooh, I like it, ooh, ooh, I like it, like it” hooks are super addictive. The combination of the trap outro and HYUNJIN and FELIX’s spoken version of the hook adds a sexy flair to the song. (9/10)

5. Runners – Runners is an epic all-English track. It starts off with SEUNGMIN’s heavenly vocals over what I think is soft traditional instrumentation before FELIX’s deep vocals and beat grounds the track. This opening combination is memorable and makes me look forward to the song each time. The other members do an equally amazing job and ends up captivating me each time. The drill, drum and bass elements in Runners create some really nice textures in the background, while the choruses bring in a cyberpunk-esque energy into play. (9/10)

6. Twilight (또 다시 밤) – No matter how many times Twilight plays, I don’t remember much of it. Maybe it is because I am very used to Stray Kids with their loud and bold music nowadays and not through a mid-tempo ballad. That being said, it is still a good song with a beautiful piano instrumentation. Each member delivers the track splendidly, and the song has some good melodies. It just wasn’t a compelling listen from Stray Kids for me. (7/10)