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Self-producing idol, Stray Kids (aka SKZ), is back in action. On Tuesday, September 6 KST, the group dropped a comeback trailer out of nowhere, surprising their fans. Called MAXIDENT, the upcoming mini-album caused an uproar in the fandom.
Phrases such as ‘It’s pink’ and ‘Stray Kids pink era’ began trending on Twitter, soon after the comeback trailer.
The reason was the classic SKZ touch of adding an out-of-the-box element or story to any oddinary trailer. The two-minute MAXIDENT trailer was full of punk, emo, and Tumblr boys' aesthetic until, out of nowhere, a giant pink heart-shaped plush character made an entrance.
Needless to say, fans are scrambling to make connections between it and previous concept trailers. The icing on the cake for fans, however, remains the pink color.
Stray Kids’ MAXIDENT: Ryan Reynolds comments a heart emoji, fans go wild over emo ‘pink’ concept
Less than three months after their last release, Japanese album Circus, Stray Kids surprised fans with their next Korean release. MAXIDENT is the group’s seventh EP, and it shows a more mature side of the eight members.
The trailer draws parallels to the group’s previously released concept trailer for ODDINARY.
Instead of Changbin holding a Free Hugs board, he has a tattoo on the side of his hands. Hyunjin still eats an apple, but throws it away after a bite and is dressed more casually than his dark attire. Seungmin still plays with a huge teddy bear and Lee Know is once again playing with cans.
Furthermore, the trailer highlights the dark, emo punk aesthetic of the band's leader, Bang Chan, and rapper Felix. The former wore a sleeveless tee, ripped jeans, black nail polish, sneakers, and a skateboard. Meanwhile, the latter sported a sleeveless white t-shirt and a leather jacket, as well as smokey eye makeup and freckles on display.
The last few seconds turned the tables as a giant pink plushie broke the emo punk narrative. The heart-shaped character became a point of discussion and jokes in the fandom. Fans also mentioned how the group always surprised them with their unique concepts.
Also, while fans fawned over the visuals and the trailer, Stray Kids’ new friend, Ryan Reynolds, commented a sparkling heart emoji in the YouTube comment section.
Take a look at some of the reactions below:
Stray Kids keep the content ball rolling
The STAY fandom and the eight-member group Stray Kids will be getting busy again. The fandom has had no dearth of content since June last year. The band released Mixtape: Oh in June, their second full-length album NOEASY in August, Japanese single Scars in October, Christmas special song Christmas EveL and compilation album SKZ2021 in December - all in 2021.
In March, they released their sixth mini-album ODDINARY, followed by a world tour and the release of their second Japanese album Circus in June. They held hybrid fan meetings, released variety shows, interviews, and even made incredible records during this time.
For Stray Kids’ upcoming EP, MAXIDENT, the group released hyung-line (Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin and Hyunjin) individual teasers on September 7 at midnight KST. Pre-orders for the album have also begun.
MAXIDENT will be released on Friday, October 7, 2022.
