{"id":845635,"date":"2026-08-06T13:24:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/845635\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T13:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T13:24:13","slug":"stray-kids-returns-with-genre-fluid-mini-album-this-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/845635\/","title":{"rendered":"Stray Kids returns with genre-fluid mini album ‘THIS & THAT’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of K-pop boy band Stray Kids, from left, Lee Know, Han, I.N, Felix, Bang Chan, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin pose during a press conference for its tenth mini album “THIS & THAT” at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap<\/p>\n

K-pop powerhouse Stray Kids returns Friday with “THIS & THAT,” an eight-track EP built around the group’s ability to move between genres without losing its identity.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

“It’s been so long since our last comeback that every part of the schedule feels exciting,” Changbin said. “We held concerts in Seoul last month, and I hope we can carry that energy into this album.”<\/p>\n

\"K-pop<\/p>\n

K-pop boy band Stray Kids \/ Courtesy of JYP Entertainment<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“This time we went in a different direction \u2014 a little more chill and relaxed,” Changbin said. “Like the title, we wanted to express the confidence of being good at this and that.”<\/p>\n

He said the group intentionally toned down some of the rougher elements that have defined its earlier music.<\/p>\n

“We took out some of the more unfamiliar, rougher sounds and tried to make the song easier to approach,” he said. “The hook came together quickly, and we kept humming it while preparing the choreography. The members all responded well, so we’re confident about it.”<\/p>\n

\"Members<\/p>\n

Members of K-pop boy band Stray Kids, from left, Lee Know, Han, I.N, Felix, Bang Chan, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin poses during a press conference for its tenth mini album “THIS & THAT” at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap <\/p>\n

All eight tracks were written and produced by 3RACHA, the group’s in-house production unit comprising Bang Chan, Changbin and Han. Han said the group avoided repeating itself in the new work. <\/p>\n

“There’s always the safe option of carrying over what worked before,” he said. “But we choose a new path every time because that’s what keeps the process fun. It’s difficult and there are always variables, but we learn a lot. If everything stayed the same, we’d lose interest ourselves.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“It was a stage we’d been looking forward to for a long time,” Hyunjin said. “It had been about a year since our last concert, so we were excited ourselves. Performing music we’ve created gives us a huge sense of happiness and accomplishment. We’ve prepared hard for this tour, and we’re ready.”<\/p>\n

\"K-pop<\/p>\n

K-pop boy band Stray Kids performs during its world tour “Stray Kids World Tour ‘RUN IT'” at KSPO Dome in Seoul. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment <\/p>\n

The group also headlines “STRAYCITY” in September, a new festival built around the boy band that runs across Latin America. The group tops the bill at every date \u2014 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. <\/p>\n

“Honestly, we’re still hungry,” Seungmin said. “We want to meet up with fans around the world who haven’t had the chance to see us yet. This festival lets us perform for different audiences on different stages, not just at our own concerts. It feels like a great opportunity to show another side of ourselves.”<\/p>\n

Hyunjin said the group’s first South American tour remains one of his most memorable experiences, adding that the group hopes to continue expanding the festival into more regions.<\/p>\n

Asked what the group hopes to achieve with the new release, Seungmin said commercial results are not the priority.<\/p>\n

“When we prepare a new project, we don’t work toward a specific achievement,” he said. “We focus on showing our fans that we’ve given it everything. I hope these songs reach as many fans and listeners as possible.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Members of K-pop boy band Stray Kids, from left, Lee Know, Han, I.N, Felix, Bang Chan, Hyunjin, Seungmin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":845636,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":["post-845635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845635"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845635\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/845636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}