"The Sound" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band Stray Kids, taken from their debut Japanese-language studio album The Sound. It was released on January 28, 2023, as the album's lead single through Epic Records Japan. The song was written by 3Racha, D&H (Purple Night), Zack Djurich, and Kyle Reynolds.
On December 23, 2022, Stray Kids uploaded the trailer video to announce that they would release their debut Japanese-language studio album on February 22, 2023.[1] The title of the album, The Sound, and its details were revealed on January 16, 2023, including the track listing, which appeared the title track, "The Sound", as the first track.[2] The song was released initially on January 28, a month before its parent album release.[3] The accompanying music video premiered on February 10,[4] preceded by three teasers.[5] The Korean version of the song was included on the group's third Korean-language studio album 5-Star.[6]
"The Sound" was written by 3Racha, an in-house production team of Stray Kids consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, and co-composed with American producers Zack Djurich and Kyle Reynolds. D&H (Purple Night) was handled in Japanese lyrics. It was composed in the key of F♯ minor, 188 beats per minute with a running time of three minutes.[7] "The Sound" is an electronic rock song,[8] depicts the group's confidence and attitude toward their music.[9] Akiko Watabe from Real Sound described that the song "shows an insatiable passion for music with the contrast between stillness and movement."[10]
Stray Kids gave the debut performance of "The Sound" at Music Station on January 27, 2023.[11] They also performed the song at Buzz Rhythm 02 on February 17.[12] The group added the song to the setlist of the encore shows of Maniac World Tour in Saitama and Osaka, Japan.[13][14]
^"Stray Kidsの日本1stアルバム発売 オフラインの2ショット撮影会も決定" [Stray Kids' 1st Japanese Album Release, and Offline 2-Shot Photo Session Announcement]. Natalie (in Japanese). December 23, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
^ ab"Stray Kids、1月28日(土)0時より「THE SOUND」の先行配信が決定!" [Stray Kids to pre-release "THE SOUND" at 00:00 on Saturday, January 28!]. Stray Kids Japan Official Website (in Japanese). January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
^Park, Seo-hyun (May 1, 2023). "스트레이 키즈, 신곡명은 '특'..6월 2일 8개월만 컴백(공식)" [Stray Kids, New Title Track 'S-Class'.. Comeback After 8 Months on June 2 (Official)]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^Mori, Tomoyuki; Watabe, Akiko (February 21, 2023). "Stray Kids、豆柴の大群、THE RAMPAGE、NOA、Dragon Ash……2月22日リリースの新譜5作をレビュー" [Stray Kids, Mameshiba no Taigun, THE RAMPAGE, NOA, Dragon Ash… Review of 5 New Albums Released on February 22] (in Japanese). Retrieved February 21, 2023.
^"今夜のMステ:出演者&楽曲紹介 スキズ、トラジャ、LE SSERAFIMら6組" [Tonight's M-Sta: Performers and Song Introductions 6 Groups including SKZ, TraJa, and LE SSERAFIM, etc.]. Mantan Web (in Japanese). January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^Song, Hyo-jin; Oh, Min-ah (February 13, 2023). "[D-eye] 도쿄 중심에 진짜 '소리꾼'이 나타났다 (스트레이 키즈)" [[D-eye] The Real 'Sorikkun' Appeared in the Center of Tokyo (Stray Kids)]. Dispatch (in Korean). Retrieved February 13, 2023.