I decided to try something a little bit different and share some initial thoughts for the tracks of a specific album. And Stray Kids’ latest album Maxident is the first to get their quick takes.
To preface, I am focusing solely on the music. The only video I watched prior to writing this is the Case 143 video and I’m saving my thoughts on the actual video for later.
Case 143
I can already tell you that, in my opinion, this is the best song on the album. It is the most fun, has the most interesting instrumental, and is overall more clever. I’m saving some thoughts for my monthly K-Pop quick takes, but I can confirm this is my favorite song of this album.
Chill
Coming after Case 143 is tough, and I do think that this impacted my opinion on Chill. Generally, it is a fine song with an enjoyable flow. It is definitely a chill song with no shining parts necessarily but also nothing negative. I’ll say it is a good song that is reminiscent of their earlier track Get Cool.
Give Me Your TMI
This is another song that reminds me of some of their older songs in some parts. I enjoy the chorus the most and the verses have some good parts, so I’ll say it is a good song.
Super Board
I have mixed feelings about Super Board, but I think I lean more towards liking it than disliking it. It took more than one listen to determine my feelings, because on the first listen I wasn’t vibing with it. But on a second listen it got better, with the vocal parts helping with that.
3RACHA
For those that don’t know, 3Racha is the subunit name for the three producers in the group (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han). They were a rap trio pre-debut and still use the moniker as their producing name. So 3Racha has a song titled 3Racha that was likely produced by 3Racha. That’s probably the most amusing part of all of this. The song is fine and is very much a 3Racha track, which is usually hit or miss for me since I am not the biggest rap fan. I don’t think it is a standout song for the three of them, especially when compared to their pre-debut work.
Also, fun fact, the last line part in the song is actually from another track they have only performed once for a special stage and is unreleased called “Passion”. And, in my opinion, Passion is a better song.
Taste
Honestly, I find Taste to be boring. It’s like a less interesting cousin to Red Lights. I didn’t find it compelling enough to pay too much attention to.
Can’t Stop
I don’t know how to feel about this song. I think I am generally neutral, where I don’t find significant flaws that make me dislike it nor do I find anything spectacular to rave about. It’s just kind of there, and I think that both Seungmin and I.N could have used a better song to really show off their vocals.
Circus (Korean Ver.)
I have a tendency that whichever version I hear first is the one that sounds the most natural. So for Circus, the Japanese version sounds the best not only because it was the first I heard but also because Circus was written in that language, to begin with. There is also something about the Korean version that lacks energy, probably because it lacks a natural flow lyrically.
Album Overall
Looking at Maxident as a whole, I’d say it is fine. I don’t think it is as strong as Go Live, In Life, or Oddinary. But it isn’t a terrible disappointment at all. It’s a solid middle rank of an album for them.
What full album have you listened to recently? Tell me about it with a comment below.