Popular eight member group Stray Kids released a single Mixtape: Gone Days that is one of the most on trend songs I've heard in a long time. Group leader Bang Chan co-wrote the song with Giriboy, Minit and Trippy. With lyrics like "this is the new generation, go away", "they stay in the memories, that's why they don't change" (translated), and "stop saying back in my days" (translated), Mixtape: Gone Days really captures the spirit of everyone who has had an elder try and tell them how to live their life. JYP Entertainment released the song and the first music video on December 26, 2019 and mu:fully released a second music video as a special two days later. The YouTube comments of the music videos are filled with Ok Boomer references. A theme song for the fun and weighted meme is the perfect way to kick off the new year!
The first music video features the group completely unfocused in a classroom being taught by a man wearing a horse head mask along with a lanyard with JYP listed across it. They move on to trying to skirt around the JYP horse's rules, even stealing a T.V remote from him when he falls asleep on a couch so they can change the channel. I was surprised that the video went so far as to have the antagonist figure as the company they are under but thinking about it afterwards, why not? Self-awareness? Being able to poke fun at yourself and reverberating the important idea to not underestimate young people? It's sometimes exactly what we need to see from a company. The music video is fun yet relatable with the memories it invokes inside me, so I keep coming back to it.
The second music video captures the vibe in a more serious way. Set up like a news report featuring different individuals dealing with the problem of "gone days", the video presents the need for individuality and issues surrounding generation gaps from multiple perspectives, personalities, and positions in life. Even the moments that appear fun and lighthearted with silly dancing or bright graphics, still had a distilling undertone to them, such as some characters' expressions that look sad or like they are trying to fake happiness while dancing or the almost haunting sunshine-yellow balls graphics with straight faces drawn on them. The dichotomy is so engaging that I keep going back to watch it even a month later.
Stray Kids debuted in March 2018 and since released over six albums and toured multiple countries worldwide. One of the reasons they are loved is their down-to-earth attitude and care for fans. This isn't the first time they've had songs that speak to issues that listeners can emphasize with, such as Question which deals with issues of identity and expectations and Side Effects which addresses the issues of change and self-doubt. They are currently on tour in the U.S as part of their District 9: Unlock tour, so now is the perfect time to check them out if you haven't before!
