Stray Kids to Drop 'THIS & THAT' Mini Album as World Tour Kicks Off

K-POP boy group Stray Kids is returning with new music the group wrote and produced itself. The eight-member act will release its mini album "THIS & THAT" on August 7 at 1 p.m. KST.

Since debut, Stray Kids has built its sound around its in-house production team 3RACHA, made up of members Bang Chan, Changbin and Han. The new mini album follows that pattern, with the group shaping both the music and the story behind it.

"THIS & THAT" will feature eight tracks in total. Six songs previewed earlier will appear on the record, along with a new song titled "그날" and a festival version of the title track. The songs move through themes the members have written about from their own experience.

The album's opening track, "RUN IT," was released ahead of the full album on June 24. The song is about the group's push toward bigger stages. Bang Chan, Changbin and Han of 3RACHA co-wrote the lyrics, tracing the group's path from a "small room" to "From Seoul to the world." The line "더 많은 걸 원해 성취해내 더 높은 dream" signals the group's plan to keep going, while the phrase "our motivation" is a direct nod to the group's fandom, STAY.

The "UNVEIL : TRACK" teaser and a mashup video have already given fans a first taste of several songs on the record. The tracklist runs across themes of achievement, relationships and comfort.

The title track, "This & That," is built around the repeated Korean hook "이것저것 다," meaning roughly "this, that, everything." The song leans into a relaxed, confident tone, the sound of a group that feels it can do whatever it sets out to do.

"FARMING" is about chasing a new goal. "I Do" turns toward comfort, with the line "Even when you feel alone I'll be right here, never gone." "After You" and "Way Out" sit on opposite ends of a relationship. One reaches for someone with the lyric "I'll swim through ocean eyes tryna get to you." The other lets go, with the Korean line "가던 그대로 way out" and "뜨거웠던 순간은 다 식은 지 오래."

The comeback lands during a busy stretch for the group. Stray Kids opened its new world tour, "Stray Kids World Tour <RUN IT>," on July 25 and 26 at KSPO DOME in Songpa district, Seoul. A third Seoul show follows on July 29, with two more on August 1 and 2. On August 1, the group will also drop a digital album titled "SKZ-REPLAY 2026 Pt.1."

Between a stadium-scale tour launch, a self-produced mini album and a same-week digital release, Stray Kids is treating this summer as one long, connected chapter. It is also a reminder of how the group has built its brand: by writing its own music, running its own creative direction and letting its fandom in on every step.