[EP HYPE]Stray Kids Are Back With THIS & THAT: Inside the Surreal RUN IT Era

Juli 08 2026, Von SOOJIB growth
22 min Lesezeit

Stray Kids return with their 10th mini album THIS & THAT, out 07 August 2026, and SOOJIB has the full line-up ready for STAY.

EP HYPE

Stray Kids · 10th Mini Album

THIS & THAT

Out 7 August 2026, 1PM KST. Eight tracks, one surreal new world, and the loudest STAY summer yet.

The era that turned a quiet Tuesday into comeback szn

Stray Kids are back, and this time the whole campaign landed in one go. On 22 June JYP flipped the switch on a full new era: the pre-release single RUN IT, the 10th mini album THIS & THAT, and a brand new world tour sharing the RUN IT name. No slow build, no teasing for weeks. Just the entire plan on the table at once.

RUN IT dropped on 24 June and went straight to number one on the iTunes Top Songs chart across 43 regions, the US, UK, Brazil and France included, whilst topping YouTube's worldwide music video trending list. It is the lead-in, not the main event. The real body of work is THIS & THAT, landing 7 August.

Watch the comeback trailer

Dropped 8 July at midnight KST, the trailer is pure mood over message. It takes the group's signature slogan and warps it into a bizarre, dreamlike universe, all industrial interiors, desert light and black-and-white styling. theqoo could not fully explain it after several rewatches, and honestly that is the point. Duality, contrast, and a darker cinematic turn from their recent sound.

THIS & THAT reads like two sides of the same coin. Two title concepts, a contrast baked right into the name, and a physical line-up that runs from a limited TRUCK case to a proper 12-inch orange LP. This is a collector's era before you even hear the tracklist.

The lead single · RUN IT

Directed by Sam Son and out since 24 June, the RUN IT video plays out in a warehouse and a sun-bleached desert, cutting between black and white to picture a forward-moving force that links the group's past and present. It is the first taste of the THIS & THAT world, and it did numbers: number one on iTunes across 43 regions and top of YouTube's global trending list.

Written from the inside out

Here is the thing that still sets Stray Kids apart: they build their own sound. RUN IT was written by Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, the three members who make up in-house unit 3RACHA, with production from 3RACHA and Marcus "MarcLo" Lomax, co-composition from VERSACHOI and arrangement by Bang Chan. This is not a group being handed a title track. It is a group writing its own anthem.

That self-produced identity is the whole story of their catalogue, from God's Menu and Thunderous to MANIAC and Chk Chk Boom. It is also why the sound never sits still: RUN IT lands on a blend of pop and alternative hip-hop, built on bold brass, marching drums and world-beat rhythms into something grand and anthem-sized. The group calls it their new anthem, and on this evidence THIS & THAT is going to be loud, self-made and unmistakably them.

Track 01 · RUN IT credits

Lyrics · Bang Chan, Changbin, Han (3RACHA), Marcus "MarcLo" Lomax
Composition · 3RACHA, VERSACHOI, Marcus "MarcLo" Lomax
Arrangement · VERSACHOI, Bang Chan (3RACHA)

What we are watching for

A few reasons this era has our attention. First, the concept. The trailer leans harder into surreal, cinematic territory than anything in their recent run, so THIS & THAT could mark a real tonal shift rather than a repeat. Second, the duality baked into the name. THIS and THAT as two sides, two title concepts, a contrast the whole rollout keeps hinting at. Third, the scale around it: this is their first album of 2026 after Do It went to number one on the Billboard 200, feeding straight into the RUN IT world tour that opens at Seoul's KSPO DOME before Rock in Rio in September.

And the seven tracks we have not heard yet. RUN IT is the opener and the mood-setter, which means the rest of the record is still a sealed box. If 3RACHA are treating this as a statement era, those B-sides are where the surprises will live.

Stray Kids RUN IT world tour Seoul KSPO DOME poster for THIS and THAT era

Source: Stray Kids Official X

The tracklist

Eight tracks, with RUN IT expected to sit on the album. The full list has not been officially revealed yet, we will update the moment JYP drops it.

01 RUN IT

02 TBA

03 TBA

04 TBA

05 TBA

06 TBA

07 TBA

08 TBA

A concept worth staring at

This is where the era really sells itself. Everything about THIS & THAT is built on contrast: the black-and-white of the trailer against the burnt-orange of the physical line-up, the industrial warehouse against the open desert, THIS against THAT. It is the kind of art direction that rewards a second look, and the packaging carries it all the way through. That orange 12-inch pressing alone is one of the best-looking K-pop vinyls of the year.

Stray Kids THIS and THAT orange LP vinyl concept packaging at SOOJIB

Stray Kids THIS and THAT TRUCK version limited concept case at SOOJIB

Why we cannot wait to hear it

Stray Kids THIS and THAT official concept photo for the RUN IT era

Source: Stray Kids Official X

If RUN IT is the opening statement, the rest of THIS & THAT is still completely sealed, and that is exactly the fun part. RUN IT already showed the range: brass, marching drums and world-beat rhythm folded into pop and alternative hip-hop, grand and anthem-sized without losing the edge. When 3RACHA build a whole record around a concept this bold, the B-sides are usually where they go furthest.

A darker, more cinematic era. A group writing its own sound. Seven tracks nobody has heard yet. On 7 August we find out how far the THIS & THAT world actually goes, and everything so far says it goes a long way.

The versions, broken down

Five formats to choose from. Full inclusion details (photobook pages, photocard types) have not been officially confirmed yet, so we are listing what is locked in and will update the rest once JYP reveals it.