‘Tis time K-pop fans celebrate twice as much with Stray Kids and aespa releasing their new mini albums on the same date and time. On 10 November, the two Korean music outfits released their latest mini-albums 樂-STAR (ROCK-STAR) and Drama, respectively, at 2 pm KST.
Stray Kids, comprising eight members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N, released the music video for the album’s title track “LALALALA” as well.
Meanwhile, the four-member girl group aespa, comprising Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, dropped a music video for the album’s title track.
More about Stray Kids and aespa’s latest mini-albums
Stray Kids’ ROCK-STAR
Marking the group’s eighth extended play (EP), ROCK-STAR arrives five months after they released their third studio album 5-STAR (2023). It consists of eight tracks and dwells on the themes of spreading joy and happiness.
“LALALALA”, too, delivers on these aspects, and the octet’s energetic choreography and hard-hitting lyrics make it a stunning opening. The song is penned and composed by Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, who are also collectively known as 3RACHA.
According to The Korean Times, ROCK-STAR includes tracks such as “MEGAVERSE”, “Leave”, “Blind Spot”, “COMFLEX” and “Cover Me”.
aespa’s Drama
Drama comes on the heels of the quartet’s third mini-album My World (2023). “This album showcases aespa’s vocal growth with a variety of genres, including charismatic hip-hop, lovely bright dance music, and sweet acoustic pop,” states the band’s website.
The title track is a high-energy dance number featuring heavy drums and synth bass. According to Soompi, “The song features rough rapping and powerful high notes on top of an addictive top line and a restrained track.”
Besides “Drama”, the album features six tracks — “Trik or Trick”, “Don’t Blink”, “Hot Air Balloon”, “YOLO”, “You” and “Better Things.”
(Hero image credit: Stray Kids/ @realstraykids/ Instagram; aespa 에스파/ @aespa_official/ Instagram; Feature image credit: aespa 에스파/ @aespa_official/ Instagram)
Trinetra is an ardent foodie and bibliophile who writes about films, travel, food and lifestyle. As a writer and literature student, slam poetry and storytelling are her go to jam. When not working, Trinetra is busy looking for her next place to visit or binge-watching Instagram videos for travel inspiration.
