[Music Review] Stray Kids' long-awaited Japanese comeback ‘GIANT’ and world tour
Stray Kids released their second full-length Japanese album, GIANT, on Wednesday 13 November. It conveys the members’ inner strengths whilst showcasing their individual and dynamic voices.
Stray Kids for ‘ATE’ comeback. Image: JYP Entertainment.
Korean boy-band Stray Kids seem to be the talk of 2024, headlining at BST Hyde Park in London for 65,000 fans and the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago for 110,000 people, then performing for the American Music Awards’ 50th Anniversary Special, as well as starting their world tour, ‘DominATE’. It's been a busy year!
The band domniATEd (see what I did there?) charts with the release of their album Ate and title-track “Chk Chk Boom”, featuring Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in the music video. This album earned Stray Kids their 7th gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after selling 500,000 units in America.
Stray Kids released their second full-length Japanese album, GIANT, on Wednesday 13 November, one year and nine months after the release of their first Japanese album. It debuted at number one on Billboard Japan and sold nearly 450,000 copies in its first week of release.
The album’s title song “GIANT” had fans raving about the wordplay, specifically the line in the first verse: 'They give my scale a name, do-re-mi-fa "King Giant"’. Stray Kids are known amongst their fans as being young, cheeky and carefree; as much as their songs may sound like they include curses, they are instead a clever use of language.
The anime fans out there may recognise two songs that feature on the album, “Night” and “Falling Up” which are the intro and outro themes for the anime Tower of God Season 2 which premiered in July 2024.
Stray Kids ‘dominATE’ world tour announcement
The release of the Japanese album came during the midst of their tour in Japan, and the band will continue to tour Asia before branching out. On 18 November, Stray Kids announced the next leg of their tour including their European and North American destinations. They will perform in five European countries, including the UK, across July.
Fans have expressed worry and disappointment that the band will only be visiting one city per country and for one night only, but the group have added a few extra dates in other continents, so don’t lose hope just yet.
Tickets are set to go on sale on Wednesday 27 November, giving fans only 9 days to prepare for the drop. If the North American and Latin American ticket sales are anything to go by, good luck to those trying to purchase them!
Official ‘dominATE’ world tour dates for Europe and the UK. Image: JYP Entertainment.
With this album, you’re taken on a rollercoaster of emotions—it consists of 10 songs, which include the English versions of “Falling Up” and “Night.” The first six songs explore themes of working hard and not allowing anyone or anything to stand in the way of your dreams, relating to one another. Two of the songs have a different take that looks into love, the heartbreak that can follow and the efforts of preservation that can ultimately fail.
After “Giant,” the second song in the album is the Japanese version of the award-winning “Chk Chk Boom.” At a glance, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between the versions as they both still include lyrics in English and Spanish. However, the most noticeable difference is in Changbin’s rap in verse two. His rap has become an iconic moment of the song, the trill when he sings: ‘To the goal step by step, I took a step closer’ (English translation), is one of the most replayed parts of the music video. In Japanese, whilst it’s still noticeable, the trill sounds more like a purr and definitely makes you do a second take.
“Night” and “Falling up” both have slight differences between the translation of the Japanese version compared to the English version, and for someone fluent in Japanese, this might throw them off slightly. However, it doesn't seem to change the overall meaning of the songs.
If you’re an anime watcher, “Night” automatically transports you to a training montage where the protagonist works hard to better themselves. Its upbeat melody and motivational lyrics such as: ‘If I fall, I know I'll rise up again, I will never stop’ (sung by Hyunjin) make listeners feel empowered as though they can accomplish any feat. It’s so fitting for the anime, but also a great song to listen to on a Monday morning as you try to shake off the weekend and get ready for the start of a new week.
“Falling Up” is the type of song that comes when a protagonist is on their way to a fight and radiates confidence. The title of the song is a play on failure; instead of stumbling and failing, the protagonist is climbing higher to reach success, Lee Know sings: ‘In the pouring rain, that’s when I get stronger’ (English translation), proving the determination that will inspire Stays (fans of Stray Kids).
Screenshot from the “Giant” music video, released with a teaser. Image: JYP Entertainment.
When Giant was released, “Why” was a song that was instantly recognised by fans. It was released as a single in April 2024 and is used as the theme of the Japanese drama, Re: Revenge – Yokubo no Hate ni. This song marks Stray Kids’ first time performing a song for a drama series.
Much like the two previous songs, it’s written perfectly to capture the nature of the show. The lyrics: ‘I don't wanna listen because they're all hypocritical, negative energy, let's cut them off and move on’ is a great piece of advice for everyone that may feel like they’re stuck in a situation that is out of their control or causes them pain. Stray Kids help to remind people that everything can be overcome and that you have to face toxicity to be able to move on.
“Saiyan” is well known in Japan as a fighting race in the franchise Dragon Ball. They are extremely intelligent and are also one of the strongest species. For Stray Kids, I.N sings: ‘I'm a Super Saiyan, legendary Saiyan, I'm not gonna die young, I'll make my dreams come true’ which follows the theme of the album title-track, Giant. The album is all about following your dreams, encouraging and pushing people to strive for the best and to not let anything get in the way. “Saiyan” captures the essence of the album, the band themselves are like giants that overlook those who get in their way and try to pull them down.
A song that deters away from the theme of the rest of the album is “Love is Painful”. It’s addictive and has a melody that seems almost cheerful, combined with lyrics that carry pain. It’s the kind of song that you sing at the top of your lungs whether you’re in a happy relationship or have just experienced heartbreak. The struggle of love is heard and felt through the band’s voices, taking you into the experience with them.
After three years since their last Christmas hit, Christmas EveL, Stray Kids have released another festive track in the album Giant. “Christmas Love” is a wholesome and heartwarming song that makes you want to bop along. We predict it’ll be played all Christmas season by Stays. It feels like a warm enveloping hug that makes falling in love seem so majestic— with descriptions of playing in the snow and dancing in the night, it makes you feel the love and share the experience with the band. You get wrapped up in the feeling and can't help but smile.
There’s just something extremely peaceful about listening to Stray Kids in Japanese, and fans are hoping that the next Japanese song won’t take too long to follow on from the album—us included.
Edited by Isabel Miller.
