Comeback Celebration: Current Top Ten StayC Songs
So this has been sitting in my drafts since March... but that worked out great, actually, since today we're getting their FIRST FULL ALBUM !!! HAPPY STAYC COMEBACK Y'ALL !!! When it comes to the highs of StayC's discography, I really think that no one can do what they do. My appreciation for their work has grown slowly but steadily--I was only a casual listener of their debut, so it was actually "ASAP" that made me a fan. Then, the Stereotype comeback got them on my stan list, and with the "Run2U" comeback, they became my favorite kpop group (sorry, Twice and Mamamoo, I still love y'all!). Revisiting StayC's earlier songs for this list, I was actually surprised by how impeccably their music has aged--I love this group even more than I thought I did!
1. 247
The queen herself! I think I've done a few other write-ups about this song in my time on Tumblr, and it hasn't gotten any less perfect after two years. "247" really leans into the lofi side of StayC's signature sound, but it has a hell of a kick to it, too. I absolutely could not fall asleep to this one, or do homework while leaving it on repeat, because I would be stimming too hard--how could I not, with a beat like that? That staticky beat commands the song, and you can't even get used to it because it's constantly morphing, surprising you with little offbeats. In contrast, StayC's vocals are a sugar rush, as high and melodic as the beat is low and grating. This is StayC at the top of their game in both production & performance, and the result is a song that gets more dazzling the more intently you listen for its details.
2. Slow Down
It took me a while to notice this one--"Stereotype" and "Complex" had all my attention when the Stereotype album first dropped, but when "Slow Down" finally had its turn in my rotation, I knew the others just couldn't compete. I'm always here for the 10 hours chill lofi beats to study to style of song from StayC, but it's not just the production I love here. The members really add to the song--I especially adore the precision with which they handle the first verse, even as it just runs and runs and runs and runs headfirst into the prechorus. The rap in the bridge docks "Slow Down" a couple of points in my book, but the "haste makes waste" ad-lib wins those back easily.
3. Complex
And here's "Complex" !! This is the song that made StayC my favorite group--from the beginning, it's been brain-cleaning music for my soul. I find it hard to place what, exactly, makes StayC's music so special to me, but "Complex" has it for sure. It's something about the way the members enunciate sharply, but not aggressively, I think. "Complex" is a soft, understated song, but the StayC ladies are masters of enunciation--their performances, strong and confident, give the song these sharp edges that keep me absolutely captivated. StayC's music, soothing but not understimulating, is just so perfect for my sensory sensitivities, and that's what I mean when I say I feel like StayC's style was designed just for me.
4. So What
This was too obnoxious for me when it first came out--maybe because Itzy still ran the girl group landscape in 2021, so I was not in need of another 'sassy & self-confident but also cutesy & girly' type of song? "So What" got me eventually, though; I think it was during the "Beautiful Monster" comeback that this track became a regular fixture in my playlists. "So What" has some of the Itzy magic--flat verses set against soaring melodic choruses, a downright strange instrumental in the prechorus--but it has a lot of StayC magic too, I think. I can't be sure this is inspired by 8-bit music, but the chorus definitely has the sound of a retro video game. (If you've been enjoying that sound lately, you should definitely check this one out!) "So What" is more energetic than a lot of the others on this list, but it's just as cozy and comforting as they are--as the chorus hits you with a barrage of clashing instrumental bits, the vocals get softer and sweeter to balance it out, and the bridge could have been taken straight out of an IU ballad.
5. Run2U
It's kind of unfortunate that this one came out when it did--the music video for "Run2U" dropped right before a really major, terrifying event in my life, so I was replaying it all the time in the months when that event happened. As much as I enjoy "Run2U", I don't listen to it much anymore--it transports me back a little too well. (Luckily for me, the b-sides from this album managed to escape the Bad Memory Vortex!) "Run2U" is an absolutely perfect song, though, stuffed with hooks and textures that my brain loves to chew on. While revisiting "Run2U" for this list, I understood exactly why I was replaying the song so maniacally in the months after it came out (it was my most-listened song of 2022, and I think all those listens were from between February and April). The soaring vocals, the angelic chimes, the beat that feels somehow 3D? It's too much to process on just one listen--or just two, or just three... This could honestly be my favorite StayC song in an alternate universe--it's such a grand statement of just how much this group is capable of!! (And it turns the pop-princess aspect of their style up to 100, which I, as a Twice stan, am legally obligated to love.)
6. ASAP
Rhyming "copy" with "decalcomanie" is the kind of audacity I like to see in a first comeback (only Lightsum has been more audacious--I love you, Lightsum, you'll get your own textpost one day). Though the production & songwriting for this spring lofi sunny day 1 hour chill beats mix sound would be perfected in StayC's later comebacks, the members perform the hell out of this one. Even before "Complex", they had the skill with enunciation to bring some real bite to the quirky-cute girl group sound! Also, that piano in the bridge is glorious.
7. I Like It
You could probably argue that this is just a dollar-store version of "Slow Down" and "So What", and I would probably agree with you--but like, I like this one, okay? I like how Yoon sings "I got my shades on" in the opening; I like the chanted bit in the second prechorus (GWAENCHANA NE TASI ANIJANA !!!!!); I like the whole damn chorus!! I think this one needed a lot more time in the oven production-wise, but I still find it super listenable. The members help "I Like It" flow smoothly despite its clumsy production, and the harmonies alone are worth coming back for.
8. Beautiful Monster
Despite some really clumsy production choices (this album was... interesting, to say the least!), I can't help but love this one--I find myself revisiting it a whole lot. (But, like, what are those claps leading into the chorus. Why are they so loud. Could you just... uh... blend them in, just a little bit? Like, could you just make them sound like they're actually coming from, like, the same song as the rest of the track? Anyway...) "Beautiful Monster" is a super-memorable showcase of StayC's vocals, though, so it's a classic in my book--those bordering-on-wailing high notes remind me of the most emotional moments in GFRIEND songs, and they're scattered throughout all of "Beautiful Monster", and they still hit like bricks every single time?? My heart was not ready for this song.
9. Stereotype
Another classic! This is one of those songs that really makes me think no one can make music quite like StayC's--like, "Stereotype" should not be as interesting as it is. It should not echo in my bones the way it does. We know StayC can bring their songs to stunningly high highs --see: "Run2U" and "Beautiful Monster"--but "Stereotype" manages to be an infinitely satisfying listen without any showstopping moments. This is like the sweeter version of "247"--it takes an even softer approach, but it still has that kick to it, like the sour part of a sip of lemonade or the fizz in lime soda. Admittedly, I don't listen to this one very frequently--I really should be obsessing over it a lot more, but the b-sides from this comeback really stole the show for me (see: "Slow Down" & "Complex" at spots 2 & 3 on this list). "Stereotype" completely deserved its success, though! It's really a perfect encapsulation of the pop-princess-meets-lofi aesthetic that makes StayC stand out.
10. Poppy (Japanese or Korean ver.)
Yes, we get one song from StayC's 2023, at least. (Look, 2023 wasn't really their year, but I needed a break from constantly gushing about how great their music is, anyway!) I think everyone else in the world would have this one on their list, too--I remember when "Poppy" took the fandom by storm, though I didn't get the appeal at the time. I'm sold on it now, though! "Poppy" is a pretty straightforward dance track, but the textures in the instrumental are unique enough that I find it an interesting, enjoyable listen whenever it comes up on shuffle.
Honorable Mentions: So Bad (vocals. oh my god the vocals.), Like This, Butterfly, I Want U Baby (that chorus is a real gem, i hum it to myself all the time), Love (i bring this one out every summer !!), Not Like You
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