All it took was three opening shots. Bang Chan, running, tired and seemingly gutted, pace growing unsteady. Bang Chan, lying on the track, lips cracked and teeth clenched in frustration. Bang Chan, kneeling, not just to shout, but to scream. That was all it took. That was all it took for “Lonely St.” to destroy me.
Watch Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈) <ODDINARY> UNVEIL : TRACK 2 "Lonely St." :
All at once, I am reminded of the running track in “Grow Up.” “Grow up” was the song that (I can say this strongly) saved me when I was lost. I was frustrated and confused. The path I was taking in life was not something I wanted to take, but I had to. “Grow Up” was the song that held me while I was gutted, lying down on the track. It was the song that lifted me when I was screaming. To see Bang Chan, alone, breaking on the very track they saved me on, wrecked me. At least, that was the emotional journey I went through watching the unveil track for the first time.
Bang Chan running alone in “Lonely St.”
I‘m not well-versed in the whole SKZverse, as Stays call it. I see Stray Kids' concepts and stories through my own perspective and just build upon what I can in my head. It may just be feeble connections that I made in my head, but I felt convinced that “Lonely St.” was connected to their past releases. In “Grow Up,” Changbin raps, "It feels like you're in an endless race. Mentally and physically exhausted, getting caught with giving up." This eerily describes Bang Chan in the opening scene of “Lonely St.”– but “Grow Up” is reassuring. It’s an encouragement to still run even if it's hard. We fall down constantly, but Stray Kids tells us it's that it’s okay, that we're doing fine. The Unveil for “Lonely St.” does no such thing.
“Lonely St.” continues with I.N. clutching his chest, as if his heart was breaking, while standing on top of something high. This reminded me of the box they stood on in “Blueprint,” a song that was about moving forward and looking up despite difficulties. It's another song with encouragement, another song that exhibits resilience.
Changbin rapping "I go above everyone who looked down on me. I look to what's higher." while on top of a massive box in “Blueprint.”
I.N. falling to his knees in “Lonely St.”
It made me wonder if Stray Kids were showing the very opposite of what they did in the past. It's as if “Lonely St.” is what could've happened if they gave up and they didn't have each other, or perhaps it's the continuance of their journey when they're finally too tired, too defeated to continue.
As Changbin raps "As I walk down the street, falling down. I'm falling down," Han tries to catch beams of light. He chases them as they appear and disappear.
He tries, but the music suddenly fades out to a lone guitar playing. Han is suddenly standing still, no longer running, even when the lights around him change and flicker. He has given up.
Stray Kids’ name stems from the fact that they are simply kids who are searching for themselves and trying to find their goal. In Stray Kids' "I am NOT" Trailer, the trailer that introduced their concept and identity before debut, Felix appears in front of multiple mirrors. He stares at himself begrudgingly and breaks the mirror. As the trailer was about Stray Kids breaking out of the system, Felix breaking the glass could be considered a metaphor of him shattering the standard and refusing the mold of perfection. That scene was what I remembered when I saw Felix in “Lonely St.,” staring at his reflection with cuts scattered on his face.
Felix in "I am NOT" Trailer.
Felix in "Lonely St."
And right on cue, Bang Chan sings two words that cut deep: "Still Astray.” Stray Kids have gone so far in their storylines. But even with their progress, even with their growth, they're still struggling to find their way. Again and again, Bang Chan sings:
"Astray" As Hyunjin is trapped, shivering inside a glass box, multiple spotlights around him and on him, similar to the light Han was trying to catch. What if they fell prey to the mold they were meant to break?
"Astray" As Seungmin breaks down, head down, and hits the wall with a bandaged and bloody fist. What if they can no longer go on after they fall?
"Just stuff it all 'cause Imma go on my way." The music transitions back to the simple strumming of guitar as if in farewell. They're all breaking and crying alone.
Changbin appears. He stops along the seats that overlook the running track where Bang Chan was. He’s out of breath, as if he was running from someone or hopefully looking for the others. But he can’t seem to find them. This scene may also be another reference to “Grow Up.”
Lee Know balances on what looks like the edge of a structure. He looks up briefly, catching a glimpse of his destination, but his eyes are bleak, maybe hopeless. Light passes on him and around him, as if a lighthouse is beckoning the way home. I wonder what the lights really mean in “Lonely St.” If it’s just an illusion meant to trap the members like what already happened to Hyunjin. The shot focuses on the very edge of the ledge where his foot slips. Lee Know falls. The screen turns black.
The scariest thing about “Lonely St.” is that the members were all alone as they struggled. They already suffered before, but at least back then, they had each other. Perhaps now they’re trying to find each other again. At one point in the video, they were running together. There was hope. But there were only seven of them. Felix wasn’t there. Some said he was absent because he already had an injury, while some said it was because he was left in the Oddinary world. All I could think about was “Winter Falls.” In “Winter Falls,” Felix and Changbin are the last to arrive at the burning phone booth where all the members gather. Maybe Chan continued walking alone, even if it was hard, until he found them one by one, and maybe Felix was the last one they needed to find.
There are countless theories going around, but all I know is that the Unveil of “Lonely St.” wrecked me as it reminded me of Stray Kids’ journey throughout their storylines and also my own. I often wonder how they do it, how Stray Kids formulate and devise songs and storylines that immediately claw at our hearts. It wasn't even the whole song or video, and yet it made me feel such heavy emotions that brought me to tears.
I cannot wait to witness “Lonely St.” in its full emotional glory. For now, all I can do is watch the Unveil Track on repeat and hope that the story of “Lonely St.” has a happy ending.
Written by: Jem
Edited by: Malo