{"id":112544,"date":"2026-08-07T22:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/112544\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:20:08","slug":"stray-kids-this-that-album-all-tracks-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/112544\/","title":{"rendered":"Stray Kids’ ‘THIS & THAT’ Album: All Tracks Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAt this point in their careers, Stray Kids<\/a> have turned topping the Billboard 200<\/a> into something of a tradition. Since signing with Republic Records in the U.S. in 2022, every one of the octet\u2019s Korean albums \u2014 Oddinary, Maxident (both 2022), 5-Star, Rock-Star (both 2023), ATE, HOP (both 2024), KARMA and DO IT (both 2025) \u2014 has debuted at No. 1, making them the first act in the chart\u2019s history to open on top with their first eight charted releases.<\/p>\n

\n\tReleased via JYP Entertainment and the REPUBLIC Collective, THIS & THAT is out today (Aug. 7) to mark the group\u2019s ninth swing to extend that historic streak in the States, while having a higher international profile than ever. After headlining Governors Ball in New York before a reported 45,000 people earlier this summer, Stray Kids are set to become the first international male act to hold their own concert at Tokyo\u2019s Olympic-sized National Stadium later this month before headlining Brazil\u2019s Rock in Rio in September, and launching their STRAYCITY festival series across North, South and Latin American countries.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Kids\u2019 latest era began in late June, when the group announced a new album and world tour, with the single \u201cRUN IT\u201d dropping 48 hours later. The song traces SKZ\u2019s path from humble beginnings in Seoul to taking on the world stage, refusing to settle and promising to sprint towards their next goal. With the arrival of THIS & THAT, that ambition remains in clear focus with K-pop tracks that speak to hustle culture, loyalty and nostalgia while immersing themselves in new sounds, genres and vocal techniques.<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom new singles like \u201cThis & That\u201d and \u201cRUN IT\u201d to impressive B-sides that dive into R&B, rock and beyond, here is Billboard\u2018s ranking of every new track \u2014 not counting the \u201cFestival Version\u201d reprise of the title track that closes the set \u2014 from Stray Kids\u2019 THIS & THAT album below.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\u201cAfter You\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe closest track to a purposely crafted crossover play, \u201cAfter You\u201d<\/a> is sung mostly in English apart from some of the second-verse and bridge raps. 3RACHA composed the track with The Monsters & Strangerz and German, who have produced Billboard Hot 100<\/a> hits like Justin Bieber\u2019s \u201cAs I Am\u201d and Maroon 5\u2019s \u201cNobody\u2019s Love,\u201d which speak to their clean, uncluttered pop stylings. The euphoric EDM breakdown feels specifically engineered to light up a live crowd and will certainly go off during the tour, but it feels like too safe a song for Stray Kids, who have built a career on delivering sonic surprises.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI Do\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStray Kids have built a reputation for specializing in the reassurance song: typically mid-tempo, rock-pop cuts aimed to comfort a listener having a hard day. \u201cI Do\u201d<\/a> is the group\u2019s latest execution of it, opening with the impact chorus: \u201cI do feel the same pain as you\/ Every scar, every wound\/ I do, even when you feel alone\/ I\u2019ll be right here, never gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tListen closely and one will hear unexpected but lovely, unguarded moments where Bang Chan\u2019s Australian accent come through fully on his vowel pronunciation \u201cevery scar, every wound\u201d (giving a special kind of kind of intimacy, whether on purpose or accidental) or Changbin closing out the first verse belting \u201cYou thought you had to hold it on your own\/ But I feel it too\u201d (delivering one of the biggest vocal moments of his career).<\/p>\n

\n\tChangbin is also the sole songwriter on this track, which includes loads of English lyrics alongside Korean, a genuinely difficult and impressive feat in a second language one may not yet be fully fluent in.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cRUN IT\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Stray
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy of JYP\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tStray Kids know exactly how to grab listeners from the opening track, and they\u2019ve been perfecting the practice for years: \u201cHall of Fame\u201d on 5-Star, \u201cMEGAVERSE\u201d for Rock-Star, \u201cMOUNTAINS\u201d on ATE, \u201cBLEEP\u201d on KARMA. Now, \u201cRUN IT\u201d joins that lineage of anthemic SKZ album openers with what may be the most sweeping of them all: the brass arrangement sound built for stadiums joined by marching drums, and the group\u2019s grandest proclamation to date: \u201cRun it everywhere, all around the world\/ It\u2019s another day, coming on the way\/ Build another city, run it day and night\/ Live another day, yeah, we on the way\/ Around the world, we\u2019ll run it day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMost of THIS & THAT feels more personal with songs about love, breakups and memories, but this one is Stray Kids\u2019 story, told by Stray Kids \u2014 no wonder they named their entire world tour after it.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBack Then\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFeeling perfectly aligned with THIS & THAT\u2018s August release date, \u201cBack Then\u201d<\/a> is a late-summer song in the truest sense, with a warm, unhurried, and faintly melancholy sound, boasting a distinct \u201980s tilt that feels particularly fresh in Stray Kids\u2019 discography.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt 3:45, \u201cBack Then\u201d is the longest track on the record, with a nostalgic feel and fascinating metaphors (HAN sings at one point that being with this person makes him feel free, like a single cloud) that fully deserve to stretch and take up all the space they need. Written entirely by HAN, it\u2019s further proof of his affinity for rock that keeps surfacing across his solo credits and gives the tracklist a graceful two-song run after \u201cWay Out\u201d before closing with a bang via the \u201cThis & That\u201d festival remix.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFARMING\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe weirdest song on the record, but also the most rewarding, \u201cFARMING\u201d<\/a> is 2:31 of restless and satisfying experimentation. The Bang Chan-assisted beat has a lurching, off-kilter bounce that recalls eras of Missy Elliott and Timbaland at their most creative, complete with pounding rhythmic percussion, machine-like grinding and curious vocal distortions.<\/p>\n

\n\tConceptually, \u201cFARMING\u201d borrows gaming and internet slang to comment on hustle culture. Knowing how hard Stray Kids work both as a group and as individuals, Felix\u2019s husky baritone delivering lines like, \u201cNah, I\u2019mma work, work, work every minute\/ Nah, I\u2019mma run, run, run \u2019til the limit\u201d hit that much harder.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor a band that has released songs about their fear of time<\/a>, this is the one song here that couldn\u2019t have come from anyone else, while also having more than enough universal appeal to connect to listeners who might feel burnt out on life, but have to keep pushing to make the dream come true.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWay Out\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAn undeniable standout, \u201cWay Out\u201d<\/a> embraces a laid-back groove, mixing electro-R&B production with trap beats while adding guitar strumming so organic-sounding that it creates a fascinating friction between the synthetic and live instrumentation. Bang Chan produced the track with Jun2, a longtime SKZ collaborator responsible for a run of underrated, emotional fan-favorite tracks \u2014 \u201cLonely St.,\u201d \u201cLeave,\u201d \u201cMixtape: Time Out\u201d \u2014 and that partnership has never sounded better than it does on this unhurried goodbye song.<\/p>\n

\n\tVocally, \u201cWay Out\u201d also showcases some of Stray Kids\u2019 best moments, like Hyunjin and Bang Chan harmonizing on the quad-lingual line, \u201cSayonara, adi\u00f3s, jal-ga, au revoir,\u201d which is recreated later by Felix and I.N in the duo\u2019s own timbre. The bridge also boasts another must-hear musical moment when the production cuts, barring some slick trap and hi-hat beats, and the vocal line of Seungmin and I.N shines with a tender, all-too-short falsetto spotlight.<\/p>\n

\n\tStray Kids grooving with the music and mixing their different vocal colors make a powerful musical statement that feels somewhat lost in today\u2019s boy bands, with this track bringing the octet\u2019s obvious musicianship to center stage.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis & That\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Stray
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: JYP Entertainment\/Penske Media\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMusically, Stray Kids have built a reputation for loud, maximalist music, giving their albums names like Maxident, Circus, and NOEASY (the last title being a play on the word \u201cnoisy\u201d), with their singles historically coming in like K-pop wrecking balls.<\/p>\n

\n\tYet the most intriguing part about THIS & THAT\u2018s title track is how little it does. Its laid-back hip-hop structure invites the listener in with the guys\u2019 delivery landing somewhere near mumble rap, in the best sense, that it\u2019s easy enough to sing, rap, or talk along with by first listen. The repetitive \u201cthis or that, this or that\u201d refrain is exactly the kind of hook that can easily lodge itself into clip after clip on social media and gives the track far more appeal to actually crossover in a meaningful, mainstream way than a song like \u201cAfter You\u201d does by so clearly trying to lean into trendy Top 40 radio sounds.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe accompanying music video piles on additional curiosities with the members puppeteering an army of headless dancers between shots of full-force group choreography. At this point in Stray Kids\u2019 career, leaning into and embracing restraint is truly its own kind of flex.<\/p>\n

\t


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