Stray Kids on 'Thunderous': “We wanted to express how grand our traditional musical sounds can be”

Stray Kids have shared more about their decision to utilise traditional Korean instruments in ‘Thunderous’, the title track of their new full-length album ‘NOEASY’.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone India, the boyband shared more about using traditional Korean instruments in their songs. Notably, the track samples percussion instruments from samul nori, while its music video featured colourful pungmul dancers and white lions associated with the Bongsan mask dance.

“We wanted to express how grand our traditional musical sounds can be, as well as the possibilities of combining these sounds with K-pop,” Changbin said. “Like the title ‘Thunderous’ (‘소리꾼’) reads, we used traditional musical instrument sounds with a different rap style to create a distinct concept.”

Felix noted that the combination of modern and traditional elements would better the group “express and deliver our message”. He added: “This is why we added in a few Korean sounds, performances and colour to our song and music video.”

When asked about the specific elements that inspired ‘Thunderous,’ Bang Chan said that the group “thought that it would be suitable to add in extra Korean traditional instruments to emphasize the concept of the song.”

“Mixing different concepts to make a new concept is something that we’re really comfortable with, and so this time around, things weren’t so difficult,” he continued.

Stray Kids released their sophomore studio album ‘NOEASY’ on August 23. The record is their first release since winning Mnet reality TV programme Kingdom: Legendary War, and also includes the return of member Hyunjin following a lengthy hiatus.