Stray Kids Claim Their Champion Era With KARMA
by Vy Le | August 22nd, 2025
Stray Kids is back with a full-length album, and the timing is wild. Stray Kids dropped KARMA, built around a baseball and champion theme, right after finishing their sold-out stadium headlining world tour. The symbolism feels too perfect to be accidental. The name itself adds another layer, since “skzkarma” has been a running joke among fans whenever the group wins big right after getting dragged online. Turning that into an actual album makes it feel like Stray Kids are in on the joke too, claiming it as their own. What we get is eleven tracks that feel like a full setlist, moving between hype anthems and encore-ready closers.
The title track “CEREMONY” blends trap EDM with baile funk, and it is all about celebrating the payoff after pushing through struggle. On first listen, it threw me off, mostly because the beginning leans almost fully English. I thought the whole song would stay like that until Han’s rap hit in the second verse. That was the moment it clicked. Stray Kids have always leaned heavier into rap for their title tracks compared to most K-pop groups, and this song really highlights that. The melodies shift constantly, like stitched-together fragments, which makes it a lot to process at first. But Changbin’s verse is razor sharp as always, and Hyunjin’s “karma karma karma” hook is one of the strongest moments on the album.
“BLEEP”, “CREED”, and “MESS” capture Stray Kids’ chaotic edge. “BLEEP” feels like the most Stray Kids track on the album in the best way, carrying the same energy as “S-Class” and “Walkin on Water”. The meme sample sneaked into the production is playful and definitely so on brand for them, playful and witty. From there, “CREED” throws it back to pre-debut 3RACHA with a straight hip-hop structure, every member taking a verse like a cypher. Then the jump into “MESS” is unexpected. After the energy of “CREED”, you would expect another high-octane track, but “MESS” slows the pace instead. It gives the first tracks a surprising breather.
“In My Head” feels like a throwback to late 2000s and early 2010s boyband pop, the kind of song you would hear in a coming-of-age movie. It also carries echoes of older Stray Kids tracks like “Mixtape : On Track” or even songs from the I Am era, a little nod to longtime fans who miss that softer side of their sound.
Then “Half Time” flips the energy completely. It’s loud, commanding, and stadium-ready, like a rallying cry that ties right into the champion theme. The line “They don’t know what’s coming next” is iconic because, honestly, as a Stray Kids fan, it’s true. Nothing about their career has been predictable. Who would’ve thought the group once called JYP’s biggest failure would turn into one of the biggest K-pop acts in the world? “Half Time” feels like a rebellious reminder of that rise, an anthem that shouts both confidence and unpredictability.
If the earlier tracks brought the chaos, “Phoenix” and “Ghost” are built for EDM festival stages. “Phoenix” is a surprise from the start, with Felix opening on vocals instead of his usual deep rap. The track leans into EDM, and the super catchy chorus feels like it’s meant to be shouted back by thousands of people. “Ghost” takes a darker turn. Hyunjin completely owns this song, his delivery cutting through heavy percussion. The chorus hits like a punch, and the faded chorus at the end leaves that lingering.
Last but not least, “0801”, a song dedicated to STAY (Stray Kids’ fandom). It feels built for concerts, the kind of emotional encore closer where fans lift their lightsticks and sing every word back. After all the chaos, noise, and energy, this track grounds the album in connection, reminding listeners who Stray Kids make music for.
One consistent choice across the album is how often songs start with English-heavy lyrics before leaning back into Korean, which feels intentional for their global audience. More than anything, KARMA plays like a setlist in album form. It has the hype, the nostalgia, the festival-ready anthems, and the encore. Stray Kids took a fan joke and turned it into a statement project, making KARMA not just an album but a celebration of where they are right now–on top of the world.
My Picks:
CEREMONY
BLEEP
Ghost
Listen to "KARMA" now🏆
