A comeback framed around versatility
Stray Kids returned with their tenth mini album "THIS & THAT," an eight-track EP positioned around the group's ability to move between genres without losing its identity. Speaking at a press event in Seoul on Thursday, a day before the album's release, the eight members appeared in coordinated suits to discuss the making of the album and share behind-the-scenes stories. The members described the title track, "This & That," as a departure from the group's previous singles, favoring a more relaxed and approachable sound over its usual intensity. All eight tracks were written and produced by 3RACHA, the group's in-house production unit comprising Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, with Han noting the group avoided repeating itself in the new work.
Where the project sits in the group's run
The release follows last year's mixtape "DO IT," which made Stray Kids the first act to debut eight consecutive releases at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Leader Bang Chan emphasized that the group is now in its ninth year since debut, adding that the members had "tried many different genres over the years" and "prepared hard to show a slightly different, new side" with this project. As the album title suggests, "THIS & THAT" captures Stray Kids' versatility and their confidence in doing "both this and that," highlighting a willingness to move forward without being bound by any single mold. The EP includes the pre-release track "RUN IT," which the group picked as the song that best suits them.
Tour momentum and a new festival
The comeback comes days after Stray Kids launched its new world tour, "Stray Kids World Tour 'RUN IT,'" with five concerts at KSPO Dome in Seoul on July 25, 26 and 29 and Aug. 1 and 2. Changbin told reporters that the group held concerts in Seoul last month and expressed hope that the energy from those shows would carry into the new album. The group also headlines "STRAYCITY" in September, a new festival built around the boy band that runs across Latin America, with the group topping the bill at every date — Sept. 9 in Bogota, Colombia; Sept. 14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Sept. 25 in Mexico City. JYP's rookie boy group NEXZ joins the lineup alongside Andres Obregon, RENEE, BAD MILK, Kei Linch, K4OS and Cocho, with other artists varying by city. Hyunjin, who called the group's first South American tour one of his most memorable experiences, said the group hopes to continue expanding the festival into more regions.
A measured stance on rankings and awards
Asked what the group hopes to achieve with the new release, Seungmin said commercial targets are not the priority, explaining that the members "focus on showing our fans that we've given it everything" and hoping the songs "reach as many fans and listeners as possible." Bang Chan echoed that line when asked about the eight straight No. 1 entries on the Billboard 200, saying the group "do not set a goal based on a certain result" and want their music "to reach as many listeners as possible." The question of award criteria also surfaced: a reporter raised the Recording Academy's newly created Best Asian Pop Music Performance category and noted that BTS drew attention by saying it would not submit music this year. Seungmin responded cautiously, saying the group's focus when making music "is not on how others see us" and that they are "not swayed by changes in internal criteria at the Grammys or other award shows." He added that the members are "grateful that K-pop is receiving so much love around the world" and stressed that their top priority is making fans happy and satisfied.
What remains to be seen
The album arrives with the Seoul tour run already completed and the Latin American "STRAYCITY" dates approaching in September, leaving the project's chart reception, additional tour routing and any expansion of the festival to future markets as the next verifiable milestones. Whether "THIS & THAT" extends the group's streak of Billboard 200 No. 1 debuts, and how the lineup for each "STRAYCITY" stop fills out beyond NEXZ and the named supporting acts, are the clearest open questions in the immediate wake of the release.
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