{"id":7959,"date":"2025-03-31T16:10:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T20:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/?p=7959"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:22:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T17:22:52","slug":"stayc-s-album-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/2025\/03\/31\/stayc-s-album-review\/","title":{"rendered":"STAYC: &#8220;S&#8221; Album Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">STAYC released their fifth single album, &#8220;S&#8221; on March 18, 2025. The album consists of three new songs ranging from crushes and love to confidence and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-89b4c9e9 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-spotify wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/6QTpBMKMIa2OFMqZBQu2Pm?si=t8sZxkvBTxO4KYxv7y23Ww\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,2C6.477,2,2,6.477,2,12c0,5.523,4.477,10,10,10c5.523,0,10-4.477,10-10C22,6.477,17.523,2,12,2 M16.586,16.424 c-0.18,0.295-0.563,0.387-0.857,0.207c-2.348-1.435-5.304-1.76-8.785-0.964c-0.335,0.077-0.67-0.133-0.746-0.469 c-0.077-0.335,0.132-0.67,0.469-0.746c3.809-0.871,7.077-0.496,9.713,1.115C16.673,15.746,16.766,16.13,16.586,16.424 M17.81,13.7 c-0.226,0.367-0.706,0.482-1.072,0.257c-2.687-1.652-6.785-2.131-9.965-1.166C6.36,12.917,5.925,12.684,5.8,12.273 C5.675,11.86,5.908,11.425,6.32,11.3c3.632-1.102,8.147-0.568,11.234,1.328C17.92,12.854,18.035,13.335,17.81,13.7 M17.915,10.865 c-3.223-1.914-8.54-2.09-11.618-1.156C5.804,9.859,5.281,9.58,5.131,9.086C4.982,8.591,5.26,8.069,5.755,7.919 c3.532-1.072,9.404-0.865,13.115,1.338c0.445,0.264,0.59,0.838,0.327,1.282C18.933,10.983,18.359,11.129,17.915,10.865\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Spotify<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-youtube wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nx4Z76beFfc-ejqEsXd24czIl_iDQ9o4w&#038;si=UZzQWnfxxHoHsM9J\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M21.8,8.001c0,0-0.195-1.378-0.795-1.985c-0.76-0.797-1.613-0.801-2.004-0.847c-2.799-0.202-6.997-0.202-6.997-0.202 h-0.009c0,0-4.198,0-6.997,0.202C4.608,5.216,3.756,5.22,2.995,6.016C2.395,6.623,2.2,8.001,2.2,8.001S2,9.62,2,11.238v1.517 c0,1.618,0.2,3.237,0.2,3.237s0.195,1.378,0.795,1.985c0.761,0.797,1.76,0.771,2.205,0.855c1.6,0.153,6.8,0.201,6.8,0.201 s4.203-0.006,7.001-0.209c0.391-0.047,1.243-0.051,2.004-0.847c0.6-0.607,0.795-1.985,0.795-1.985s0.2-1.618,0.2-3.237v-1.517 C22,9.62,21.8,8.001,21.8,8.001z M9.935,14.594l-0.001-5.62l5.404,2.82L9.935,14.594z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">YouTube<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: S\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6QTpBMKMIa2OFMqZBQu2Pm?si=t8sZxkvBTxO4KYxv7y23Ww&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year was big for STAYC, with their first full album of 14 new songs having come out in July. Since then, they&#8217;ve continued on their grind with a digital exclusive comeback in November with <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DskqpUrvlmw?si=I54XCGqOWxpEOi7C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;GPT&#8221;<\/a>. Only five months later and we get another comeback from the iconic group of six. &#8220;S&#8221; has three tracks that are definitely worth the hype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/5iXD5rOKV99XGtkaiucHpM?si=0a36463469444726\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;BEBE&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBEBE\u201d is one of their best title tracks to date. The song is very poppy and has a bit of a disco\/house vibe. It&#8217;s about the giddy and exciting feelings one might get from a crush. The concept is very fashion-focused and goes with the song so well. I absolutely love the green outfits. If the song wasn\u2019t good enough, the concept and music video completely sell it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"STAYC(\uc2a4\ud14c\uc774\uc528) &#039;BEBE&#039; MV\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z-xfGoabprU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The line distribution and vocals are so refreshing. I typically think that Sieun gets too much attention, even as a main vocal, but I loved hearing her in both the first and second chorus. The way she sang it was almost lazy in a stylistic way, and I absolutely love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"867\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-BEBE-Green-outfits-1024x867.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7964\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-BEBE-Green-outfits-1024x867.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-BEBE-Green-outfits-300x254.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-BEBE-Green-outfits-768x650.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-BEBE-Green-outfits.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sumin is still taking a backseat as leader, but what she does sing is really good. Her nasal tone has become more rounded, so I almost didn\u2019t recognize her voice. I always love to see Seeun get more screen time, so that was a plus. Like the song, the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/j6jmMFZLL6U?si=k5dGX_ZgpAtNJrb5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choreography<\/a> is just as catchy. I think everyone shined so hard this title track. &#8220;BEBE&#8221; is probably my favorite title track since <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SxHmoifp0oQ?si=QLJEYE9jZLG9kGMu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;Teddy Bear&#8221; <\/a>in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2. <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/6jZWXuxBv9CNeaxGUvZRIK?si=8d7ac6a024ea4e77\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;DIAMOND&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second track on the album is &#8220;DIAMOND&#8221;. I really like this song, it&#8217;s another classic STAYC b-side. Like &#8220;PIPE DOWN&#8221;, it&#8217;s a short song at only 2 minutes and 22 seconds. This song brings about a message of self-confidence. With diamonds being a symbol of strength and resilience, this song is about how you can be strong and break through any obstacle you come by.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/6QTpBMKMIa2OFMqZBQu2Pm?si=t8sZxkvBTxO4KYxv7y23Ww\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"STAYC's fifth single album, &quot;S&quot; (2025)\" class=\"wp-image-7963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-1536x1536.png 1536w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-80x80.png 80w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-30-at-9.09.43\u202fPM.png 1544w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>STAYC&#8217;s fifth single album, &#8220;S&#8221;<\/em> (2025)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/1y42u9UuJJvlSS61zv9eux?si=03f4d43a6ae64452\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;PIPE DOWN&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final track on this single album is \u201cPIPE DOWN\u201d. This song has more of an assertive tone with an R&amp;B vibe. The song encourages you to stand up for yourself and to ignore those who try to bring you down. It reminds me a bit of <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/1HnJhU3MhAnRQzdkFm6xQr?si=4126a49bb7114c5c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cNot Like You\u201d<\/a>, as it\u2019s chill compared to the title track of the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"STAYC(\uc2a4\ud14c\uc774\uc528) \u2018PIPE DOWN\u2019 Performance Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xb26rK2tnyU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the other <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xb26rK2tnyU?si=naw5WiQ_hN8z8w3Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">choreographed<\/a> song, it\u2019s pretty nice. It\u2019s also pretty short at just under two and a half minutes. I had a moment of d\u00e9ja vu listening to it, as the first verse starts off exactly like <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DskqpUrvlmw?si=I54XCGqOWxpEOi7C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&#8220;GPT&#8221;<\/a>\u2019s first verse; their previous digital single. Both songs were written by the same three composers, so that may be why. That aside, it\u2019s a decent track. Nothing groundbreaking, but not the worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All in all, &#8220;S&#8221; is a great single album that dropped some really good tracks. &#8220;BEBE&#8221; is one of my all-time favorite STAYC songs, and I can&#8217;t stop replaying it. I cannot wait until their next comeback, most likely later this year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STAYC released their fifth single album, &#8220;S&#8221; on March 18, 2025. The album consists of three new songs ranging from crushes and love to confidence and resilience. Last year was big for STAYC, with their first full album of 14 new songs having come out in July. Since then, they&#8217;ve continued on their grind with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":7965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[39,16,17],"class_list":["post-7959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-opinions","tag-album-review","tag-kpop","tag-music","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-S-concept-photo-group-scaled.jpeg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2025\/03\/STAYC-S-concept-photo-group-scaled.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Kevin Daly","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/author\/kevin-daly06\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}