Within six months of releasing their album “Clé 2: Yellow Wood”, Stray Kids dropped another album, “Levanter.” The album is the final installment in the Clé series, which began on March 25, 2019, with the release of “Clé 1: Miroh.” Initially “Levanter” was set to be released on Nov. 25, but was pushed back due to unforeseen circumstances. After another two weeks, the long-awaited album finally released on Dec. 9.

The title track, “Levanter,” quickly earned an award just over a week after its release, and rightfully so. Many listeners of Stray Kids know that their songs tend to have darker themes, so when this song was released, it was surprisingly different from their past songs with its more positive style. Though the vocal style has changed, “Levanter” is a well-composed and beautifully written song. At first, this track did not stand out to me, but as I listened to it more, it grew on me. This song has a unique chorus and is perfect for studying. 

“Double Knot” was a sneak peek of the new album, but sadly it is the last song the group recorded with all nine members. This song fits in with the band’s darker style and definitely matched the style of “Miroh,” the title track of “Clé 1: Miroh.” To top it all off, their dance accentuated their high energy and interesting choice of instruments. 

“Stop” is the continuation of “Road Not Taken,” a song from “Clé 2: Yellow Wood.” Many fans requested an extended version of the earlier track, so “Stop” was born. This song is one of my favorites since it follows the same narrative as “Road Not Taken.” Both “Road Not Taken” and “Stop” include the phrase “I will not give up” in the background, but chopped up and remixed in interesting ways. When this came out, I was excited to hear how they reused the melody creatively.

Even though there was much anticipation for the delayed album, it was definitely worth the wait. Every time Stray Kids makes a comeback (which is pretty often), their songs and concepts become more and more interesting. The more each song is played, the more catchy it becomes. Each song is unique in its instrumentation and arrangement. This is even more impressive considering that Stray Kids has their own producing team, 3racha, which takes part in composing and writing every song they have released. I look forward to listening to their new releases after their Clé series comes to a close. What interesting concepts will they try next? 

Track List:

“Levanter”

“Double Knot”

“Astronaut”

“Stop”

“Booster”

“You Can Stay”

“Sunshine”