I will post my review for Kei’s solo debut tomorrow. 

A lot of male comebacks this week from what I have noticed. And to add to the influx of male groups is Stray Kids. They are gearing up for a future comeback as they released a mysterious teaser which featured Double Knot, District 9: Unlock, Astronaut and Clé: LEVANTER. Double Knot was confirmed to be a single release and District 9: Unlock is going to be their first concert. No word on what Astronaut and Clé: LEVANTER are but my guess is another single (or possibly title track) and mini-album. Double Knot is also the first release from Stray Kids since Side Effects.

The way Double Knot is presented to us is slightly different from the upbeatness and energy that we got from Miroh and the intensity that we got from Side Effects. At the exact same time, however, I think the energy and intensity are still there. But rather, it is very subtle in this hip hop dance track. I found the track to be fierce and very masculine, a side of Stray Kids that I would say we haven’t from the group since their debut days. The rapping is very well in this song, which I think is a common thing when it comes to hip-hop like tracks from Stray Kids. The vocals were also equally as nice. I also want to comment on the fact that the song felt like it held itself back. Obviously, it wasn’t as powerful or explosive like their two title tracks from this year. But, in a way, it creates suspense for their impending comeback that we know will either happen in November or December this year.

That fierceness is definitely transformed into their more urban edgy music video. In this video, it looks like Stray Kids is a gang in the back alleyways. I also feel like the subtle nature of the song really brings out a different tougher vibe to the group, which makes them look very good. I liked the many transitions that were used in this video, which made things feel so much smoother. It isn’t something that you would expect in this video, however. One clear example has to be when the video transitioned between Jisung, Bangchan, Jisung (again), Woojin and Seungmin (around 0:30 of the video). That looked cool and really drew my attention to the rest of the video. There are clues to what Astronaut might be and also elements that tie this video to their previous videos. So it will be interesting to see how Double Knot fits into the storyline.

The dance was equally as impressive. One thing I haven’t mentioned is that the entire comeback comes off as epic. But I  held onto that comment until the choreography because that is what I felt when I watched the choreography for the first time. The initial pose looked really cool. And I like how tough their chorus looked, aligning itself with their previous comebacks despite the different nature of the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10