Stray Kids was one of the boy groups which I quite liked when I had been beginning to get into K-pop. I haven’t made it much of secret how much I love ‘Miroh‘, which I would confidently assert as one of the greatest K-pop songs made of all time. Yet, as their popularity began to grow following their viral hit, ‘God’s Menu’ (honestly, for good reason), the material which they released after has failed to connect with me more often than not. In my most humble opinion, it is partly due to 3RACHA, after realising what worked for them in ‘God’s Menu’, has decided to stick to a more formulaic way of constructing their music (more speaking about their title tracks). Their latest comeback, ‘Chk Chk Boom’, quite exemplifies this feeling.
The entire track is very well-performed, worthy of the seasoned veterans that Stray Kids have grown into. There are few rap lines in the K-pop industry which I would genuinely enjoy, and Stray Kids have the strongest rap line among their active peers, especially among top-tier (or popular) groups, and it isn’t even a competition. Hence, their verses, mix and matched with both rap and vocals have much stronger overall effect than most grups, with the special care taken in delivery, cadence, and flow. This is all very well and good- yet the track itself feels somewhat monotone- an adjective I would never find myself tacking onto a Stray Kids title track two years ago.
I’ve held back from creating this review trying to find out what makes me feel that way. Now, I think I have found the answer.
The song has a problem with its overall energy distribution as a result of a general lack of variation when looking at the track as a whole. The verses are relatively mid-energy, then the entry into the first chorus is still somewhat restrained. The second repetition of the chorus, performed by Lee Know, brings it up a notch slightly, but the pay off to this high doesn’t feel very cathartic. The instrumental switches up slightly in the 2nd verse, which does bring in a nice change of energy, but at this point, I realized that the track feels plodding. There is an absence of the feeling that the song is heading towards something- which they have been able to deliver so convincingly in the likes of their earlier title tracks ‘Miroh’, ‘Side Effects’, or even ‘I am You’ (which by the way, has aged incredibly). The main things that keeps the song going the strong and well-crafted instrumental with a slinky groove that undeniably hits. It might recycle some repeated cliches like gunshot sound effects and such, but it works well. I’m not going to take this away from their effort. However, what I am saying is the very construction of the song limits it to greater heights, relying on variations within the individual sections of the song to keep things interesting rather than taking it as a sum of its parts and multiplying the effect. What clearly doesn’t help, is the song’s absurdly short song length (and I don’t remember Stray Kids ever releasing such a short song), which probably can help explain this phenomenon I’ve noticed. Making it cater to tiktok means that it is a lot more productive to use this constrained approach instead of looking at the bigger picture as they clearly used to seen in their earlier works.
In conclusion, while Stray Kids’ ‘Chk Chk Boom’ showcases their exceptional talent and polished performance, the track falls short in energy variation and overall impact. The strong rap lines and well-crafted instrumental are commendable, yet the song’s formulaic structure and short length hinder its potential. Unlike their earlier hits that built up to memorable crescendos, ‘Chk Chk Boom’ feels stagnant and constrained, possibly catering to the quick consumption of platforms like TikTok. It’s a track that, despite its strengths, lacks the dynamic evolution that once set Stray Kids apart.
Hooks – 7
Production – 8
Vocal Delivery – 9
Rap Delivery – 10
Overall – 8.5
K-pop Evaluated 
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