Since their Japanese debut in 2020, Stray Kids have amassed a rather large J-pop discography. JYP Entertainment has always been good at keeping multiple markets fed, and Stray Kids’ self-producing status ensures a certain level of continuity between their multi-language catalogs. New single Hollow hails from their upcoming third Japanese mini album and sees them taking on a more melodic approach.
It’s tough with Stray Kids because I often find myself wishing they’d lean more into melody and dispatch with the (often gimmicky) shout-chanting that characterizes many of their tracks. Yet, when they do opt for something softer like Hollow, the melodies rarely hit with me. Hollow has a somewhat colorless palette, fusing gritty synth to a mid-tempo beat that feels plodding despite moments of liftoff. Each element, from the instrumental to the vocals, is smothered by this hazy bed of filters that drains character from the track. This makes it hard for any individual piece to break through and fully capture attention.
Production aside, Hollow is quite workmanlike in its approach. Everything about it is relentlessly fine, from the requisite rap verse to the cycling structure of the chorus. However, it all feels flat to me. It’s like a placeholder single — something the group was contractually obligated to deliver with no real passion or flair behind it.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
“With no real passion or flair behind it”. Mate the name of the song is Hollow.
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haha true
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10/10 I love the lyrics.it’s gives me a feeling of happiness.
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its fine but unambitous
7.75 (8, 8, 8, 7) for me
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Missed opportunity to say the song felt hollow… Anyways I enjoyed it especially since we got Bangchan as center. 8.5 for me
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Oh, I’d give it mid to high 7’s. The chorus is pretty good. The verses just mark time. What bothers me is that hard shift from the verse into the chorus. its just not smooth, it does an almost visceral kerlunk between the two.
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Compared to giant, I really liked this Japanese release! 8.5 for me
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Giant lowered my expectations for their Japanese songs so much that I actually enjoyed this. Tragic. Flat 8.
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No passion behind it? It’s about feeling empty, soulless and disconnected from oneself. The price of fame you could say. In the music video many of the members are trying to fill the void by stealing from others. Lee Know for example takes Hans light away from him to try and fill his own. The passion is in the meaning behind it.
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thank you it is a beautiful song
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You missed the point of the song….. HOLLOW! You always don’t get Straykids, maybe you just don’t like them and it’s affecting your rating. I wouldn’t rate it 9 or above but the song is at the very least an 8.
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I agree with this. It’s not a particularly impressive song, but it’s not as bad as it’s rated. I find it more enjoyable than Giant and think it deserves a high 7 or even an 8. I believe the blog owner has had a strong dislike for this group since they stuck to a style of non-stop screaming, accompanied by a lack of a dramatic central hook and poor structures. In recent years, their more melodic (though not outstanding) releases have suffered from a severe disconnect. I suddenly remember TWS’s bland and uninteresting Countdown being rated higher than 9.
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Nick has shown high praise for most of Stray Kids’ material, namely District 9, Miroh & Side Effects. Haven is his highest rated b-side, with a rating of 9.5 out of 10. Do your research before you assume he has a strong dislike of the group, because it is not true.
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At this point, I don’t think you need to keep expressing enthusiasm for Nick anymore, because honestly, the opinion above is hard to dispute. Aside from the first two years, SKZ has failed to produce many things that align with the taste of this blog’s owner. The prickly beast Case 143 could be the final straw, completely shattering any positive feelings that had been built up. From 2023 onward, they have released a decent amount of material, yet not a single B-side has earned a spot on the ‘buried treasures’ list. Meanwhile, fresh and bright boy groups that hit the sweet spot for Nick keep debuting, which only diminishes SKZ’s relevance with time.
To put it bluntly, of all the artists under JYP Ent right now, SKZ is the one whose tracks have most consistently failed to please the blog owner’s interest. The relationship between N and group S can be summed up as a whirlwind romance – swept up by their initial brilliance, only to crash and burn due to irreconcilable differences in core values. If SKZ continues relying on the same tired yelling gimmicks it wouldn’t be surprising to see their ratings dip to 3 or 4 in the near future – and I guess that’ll only fuel even more uncomfortable interaction on this page in the coming days.
Final words, a thousand bangers like Miroh couldn’t wipe away the disaster Case 143 left in its wake.
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”tired yelling gimmicks”. I presume you mean rap? No, SK will not be dropping that any time. They are at their a rap heavy group. Their main writers are the rap group 3Racha which expanded into a full group.
If they don’t suit this reviewer’s taste, that’s fine – personally, I’m not fond of Miroh but enjoy Case 143, but SK are still producing hit after hit. Their brilliance has not dimmed, just this reviewer’s enjoyment of them.
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after seeing many of your song reviews, i understood that you don’t understand stray kids music. They are not like the other groups that sticks to 1 kind or 1 flow of the songs. But its perfectly fine, there are many ( a lot) who don’t get their music style, concept and theories behind a song.
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I just attended stray kids concert in Atlanta Georgia. The stray kids performance was great. To bad we couldnt see it from beginning to end. The ticket gates was not opened on time and knocked everything off close to an hour. That was the worst handled concert situation we have ever experienced. They must of thought they could fill a stadium of over 40,000 people in an hour or they underestimated the crowd that a kpop group would being
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idk how you guys could say that it is a c- I give it a solid 10/10 A+++++++++++++++++
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I have to agree, I haven’t enjoyed a song from them since S-Class.
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That’s crazy and if you are a fan then don’t call yourself that because S-Class came out like 2 years ago and not liking a song since S-Class is not stay behavior…
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This reads very cult-like 👀
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Its not cult like its true. Youre not a fan if you don’t like their music. That’s the most basic step of being a fan.
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Its not cult like its true. Youre not a fan if you don’t like their music. That’s the most basic step of being a fan.
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You’re a dumbass because you posted this twice. Maybe it was on accident. Who cares? Fuck off.
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Nah, it definitely does read cult-like. The person who made the OG comment never even said they were a Stay to begin with. So to immediately go into that tirade very much displays the cult-like mentality kpop stans can sometimes have. I’d also say that it, combined with their display/user name, it also screams “superiority complex.”
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sweetie the emptiness is the point, it’s literally called hollow. To me, it’s 10/10
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hollow is a song that touches the heart completely. it’s not passionless, rather it’s full of passion. the way the lyrics keep describing the state of ones heart that relate to many people is something that brings tears to the eyes. i don’t get why you are rating it in the way you are. well, many people don’t understand skz’ concept because skz doesn’t stick to one permanent concept. though it’s completely fine, people can have different tastes. but the way you just gave it a 7, doesn’t sit right with me. it is a 100/10 for me!!!
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so basically a 10/10 song
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I think it’s an okay song! The chorus works well, it has a nice melody and the production choices in the post chorus were surprising but they add a nice touch. I think those parts of the song are doing most of the heavy-lifting.
The one thing I didn’t like so much at first and second listen was the transition from the rap verses into the pre-chorus, that wasn’t smooth at all lol. I’d even argue the song didn’t even need a rap, but what are we gonna do? It’s K-pop and they actually got skilled rappers. Other than that, this song works for me.
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oo look who is talking
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I totally agree with you. The song felt shallow and lifeless, without passion behind it. People keep saying the song is called “hollow” and that the sole meaning behind it is this empty feeling. But this doesn’t mean you can’t make a song with emotion and passion. Imagine someone makes a song called “bad” and the song is just the worst you ever heard and your reasoning why the song is still actually amazing is because “well it’s called ‘bad’, so it’s actually genius to make the worst song ever because it perfectly portrays the song’s meaning”?
I really liked Hyunjin’s part in the bridge though. It is actually giving me the feeling of feeling nothing or like a ghost of yourself.
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The song sounds shallow I agree, but it definitely doesn’t sound lifeless. You saying that just shows how you lean towards the noiser part of skz’s discography, and you don’t particularly enjoy the quiet version they offer. And people CAN make their song sound like the titles. There’s Gnarly by Katseye, Lazy Song by Bruno Mars and probably many more too, and the reason why many people love those songs are because the title literally portrays the song’s meaning. Hollow by Straykids is a nice song but it’s just not for you.
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I feel like this blogger does not like SKZ. I have never seen a high rating come from their posts about them. Personally, I love this song, even more than GIANT, and you’re right, they do sound like they have no passion for it but that’s what it should sound like since the song itself is called Hollow. And if you read the lyrics, you would’ve understood the song better.
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They released my favorite song of 2019.
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why are stays writing comments with the dumbest logic??? 😭😭 “the song title is hollow that’s why it’s supposed to feel empty” yea but that doesn’t excuse the transition from verse to chorus… I was a stay but let’s be honest they’ve been creatively bankrupt since case 143; that aside i liked why, their solo songs and burnin tires by changbin and IN
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I’m cackling at how pressed they were in the comments acting like the score was a 2 or something like that. (Let’s be real the review and score were both actually pretty generous lol)
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