Happy Thur-STAY! Reacting to 'Levanter' by Stray Kids

[@thylionheart]

What gets me about this song is that it was written before they lost a member, but it feels like it was written after. It was their second release after the infamous October 2019 (the first being Astronaut in November 2019), being released on Dec. 9, 2019, only 2 months later. And wow. It just…it genuinely boggles my mind that this wasn’t written after everything. It genuinely feels like fate, that this was planned to be their next title track right before they became 8. This is the perfect transitional song, the perfect point of no return into become the Stray Kids we know and love today. It feels healing, it feels comforting, it feels melancholy and afraid but yearning, and at the end, it feels united and full of solidarity. I know it wasn’t written about October. But to hear the lyrics, “I wanna be myself,” knowing that the next album after this was GO LIVE, with God’s Menu-the song that launched them into more widespread recognition, where they feel reborn, with a track list so strong and vibrant and confident and refined that it coined a new genre (mala taste)-makes me incredibly emotional. I love their discography pre-GO LIVE and I’m so happy they re-recorded most of it in SKZ2020 & SKZ2021, but there’s just a very clear tipping point after Clé 3: Levanter where it feels like they truly not only came to grips with who they are and what they want to create, but began polishing and perfecting that as well. Gosh, I’m so proud of them.

[@emezai]

i love this comment, one of the most gorgeous explanations i've heard.

[@violetb-b1r]

Yes it does have more impact since it is their first song after losing Woojin. The video was filmed after so they likely did have that in their minds then and may have incorporated that feeling into the MV.

[@deeception3096]

I love the choreo with Felix and Hyunjin here because it directly parallels their choreo in Side Effects. There are so many little referencing to other M/Vs in this conclusion of the Cle series. They also have a lot of literary/film references as well. The Levanter (Mediterranean wind) is a reference to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The two moons seem to reference the two paths from the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (which is the opening song to Yellow Wood). The Broken Compass and song Broken Compass (originally a 3RACHA song) seem to have references to Dead Poets Society and The Graveyard by the Sea by Paul Valery. I'd also recommend looking up the "Map of Broken Compass" or Cle Map that Stray Kids released around the time of Cle: Levanter dropping - it's a physical map of the journey from Hellevator to Levanter.

[@PaganReacts]

Ahh!! Omg that’s so cool

[@annaweber3327]

The choreography of this one is my absolut favourite SKZ choreography 🙈 if you have time I recommend watching the dance practice ^^

[@zaraea6732]

I truly recommend watching the dance practice for this. The choreo is absolutely breath taking.

[@LUMI_MBB_STAY]

This is honestly one of the most visually stunning MV's I've ever seen! The song is incredible. The dancing is incredible. One of my favorites for sure! I feel like this song has much more meaning than we know.

[@tylerlet9378]

This is my absolute favorite song by them. It sounds so dreamy

[@megbaptista9084]

Everything here from the song to the choreo, to the dressing , color paletes and all the elements is absolutely STUNNING!!! One of my favorites for sure ❤

[@melissaegan2779]

That back and forth between Felix and Hyunjin is one of the most satisfying sounds in the world

[@chanisalwayswatching8670]

You definitely need to check out the dance practice for Levanter, it's one of my top SKZ choreography, it's just so beautiful

[@tamaravanhees1749]

Finally you have found Levanter. This is my favourite Stray Kids Song 🥰

[@VirgilFerenze]

This is my fave SKZ song, I kinda decided that yep I'm gonna stan them after hearing this one. And surpisingly I love the english version even better

[@josie_2286]

I love this song and mv and as always your reactions! Choreo is top notch. Vocals are beautiful as well. I feel like you hear each member unique voice. Thanks for these Thurs-stays! Highlight of my week for sure.

[@Mayy0325]

Hi! I also love the choreography for this song. Its so beautifully done and conveys the story that the song talks about. Also, the use of the elevator and the two moons at the end of the music video is in relation to the stray kids lore/storyline :) you'll notice that alot of their older music videos, trailers and teasers (pre gods menu) contain alot of elevators and two moons. (Such as two moons in side effects, double knot, astronaut, levanter and the go live trailer and an elevator in hellevator, the cle 2: Yellow wood trailer, the side effects mv teaser, the cle: levanter trailer, levater trailer and levanter mv, the oddinary trailer) Other common things that are often in stray kids older videos that relate to their storyline/ lore are keys, glitches, cameras or the kids being watched through some sort of cctv, them being in cities or having a city in the background and the visualisation of two different worlds. Although, if this is very confusing to you or any new stays, Chan explains it quite well in "Stray Kids : Prequel (Highlight Reel)" :D Also i love what you said about levanter being cleansing and about moving forward, because this was the last title track before gods menu, and gods menu was definitely considered a completely new era and a turning point in stray kids music and career. Levanter symbolised the end of a chapter in Stray Kids journey before they moved onto a "a new world".

[@rudikfan1054]

You can interpret the song as being about letting go of someone, or an image you have of yourself. Storyline-wise, they've spent all of the Clé series looking for keys and using their broken compass, trying to find their way to the elevator and to the new world, but here they abandon that quest, burning the elevator and the ticket to the new world. Chan's talked about how clinging on to one idea (in this case, the keys and elevator) blinds you from seeing other alternative solutions. Once they let go of the idea they've been following, they realise they themselves were the key to finding their way where they want to go. You'll also notice there are 2 sets of Skz in the mv: the ones who chose the road less travelled in Side Effects (scarred and in the crumbling city) and the ones who chose the easy way and the system (the ones in the field). The mv is FULL of storyline.

[@Lucy-re7xl]

I was waiting for your reaction to Felix's killing part! 🤣

[@Selande3]

There is a definite storyline, yup. This is the title song for the 3rd Cle album (first album after Woojin left - song is NOT about him leaving though - they recorded this with him I believe and when he announced he was leaving the group, they had to scramble and re-record all the songs so the date of the album release was pushed back). In the first Cle album (Miroh), they went into the city (the jungle). In the second Cle album (Side effects title song - I think you reacted to this? I'm not sure. I'd have to go back thru all your videos lol), they decided to take the Road not taken and created (or went to) another world. Two moons in several mvs are referencing the two worlds happening at the same time, different choices being made in them. In this last Cle album, they found that the choice they made to go to another world didn't bring them what they were looking for and choose to go back. So the pink tinge to the world was the New world (they end up burning the ticket to go to the New World because they were done with it). And the regular colors at the end is our world that they chose to come back to - and after making that choice, the moons merge so there aren't two worlds anymore. I'm still a Baby Stay and don't know EVERYTHING about the storyline, but this is a synopsis of what happened thru the Cle series. I think Felix has the power to either change things or something like that.. I think in Oddinary it kinda showcases that from him. I have no idea when it happened but apparently a different I.N is with the group and that's brought up in album trailers - No idea how that happened, but maybe I'll find out lol.. still working thru all the videos. I've seen all the MVs, but not all the intros/trailers or teasers that could shed some light on the whole storyline. This is the resource I'm using to find all the videos (including all the lives, cause I love to watch their vlives (though no longer on vlive). ch-skz.netlify.app/old-new/ maybe it'll help you. I've found the vlives from SKZ have mostly been uploaded by www.youtube.com/@straykidsvlives/videos but I don't know if all were or not. Mostly looking at older content (I'm still in 2018 content! There is really a lot!) Some older videos don't even exist anymore (Afterschool Club made me sad). Back to this video.. sorry, I was rambling! I love the choreo for this - it definitely has a contemporary vibe and is more storytelling through softer gestures. The dance practice is so good! This is also one of my favorite songs on my playlist as I love to shout out "I don't care!" I know there's an english version, and I have added it to my playlist, but I tend to love the original korean so much more even though I don't speak it or understand it. Someday.. I'll learn korean. Someday.

[@rudikfan1054]

Don't want be spoilery, since you're discovering things by yourself, but the I Am Not trailer is the first time you can see Felix using superpowers, and the point where the two I.Ns presumably swap places. There's also a theory that the two Hyunjins swap places at the end of the Side Effects mv, and that the Astronaut mv is about Skz coming to get their own Hyunjin back, because they've realized the swap, but didn't notice that the I.Ns were also swapped.

[@Selande3]

@@rudikfan1054 ohh I’m going to rewatch all that! Thank you!!

[@jeanettechristoffersen1916]

Thanks for this. Its been a while since i heard it last. Did you know that there’s an English version? I just listened to it and it great. Stray Kids have made a few English versions of songs. 😊

[@Akkarri]

You need to watch that dance practice, it's beautiful ❤️ If you watch Side Effects and then Levanter, you will realise Levanter is direct continuation of that story (even Levanter choreo starts where Side Effects MV stops)

[@CreateNColour]

This is one of my all time favourite SKZ songs. So beautiful and Hopeful. The dance practice is worth watching and also, they have an English version that is beautiful too ❤

[@josefinagonzalez6587]

I think the English version of levanter is my favourite, makes me cry every time

[@josefinagonzalez6587]

Love this song so much

[@pam3399]

This song is one of stay's favorites, i love it ✨ Thanks for the reaction 🤍

[@starmyatiny5031]

Yes Levanter its linked with Hellevator they are a part of the same storyline.

[@juliartmix]

Levanter is Lee Knows song and no one can change my mind 😭

[@grubchen7527]

same

[@Naaj_naj]

Agreee

[@leeknoxo]

just facts fr 😭

[@ayanobadass949]

Girl fax

[@queenofhearts888]

i come back here legit every thur-stay

[@PaganReacts]

Thank you! 💜

[@aliciacl.4298]

The "wall" between the two of them facing each other is a mirror, it's a reference to the song Mirror. Here I think they talk to their other or former self. The two sides or personalities are in conflict with each other and at the end they have to let it go to move forward. But that's only my interpretation

[@PaganReacts]

Clever!! 👏🏻

[@zcst4eva]

It is connected to Hellevator, the color palate here is the same as at the end of Hellevator.

[@ruhainadumato2823]

Thanks a lot for your reaction to our boys the Straykids ❤️❤️❤️

[@lunalovegood6357]

This was the end of an era! They then released a video titled Prequel before starting a new era with god's menu. I recommend watching that~

[@carolso-culture2526]

Es una preciosa canción 🎶 de años anteriores ...super melódica

[@MoonCat1977]

[@julieduong6571]

When this came out in 2019...me ALSO 4got to breathe: 😁. This 1 is on my top 20 from them. 💜

[@grubchen7527]

happy Thur stay 😊

[@JforJosie]

If you love the choreography you should totally check out Mirror!! Love your reactions!

[@grubchen7527]

I looove Levanter 😍

[@dianad1918]

beautiful songs also that i recomand by skz would be "never ending story" and Peace by Changbin and Seungmin 🥰

[@teenashe1664]

I listened to english ver so much that the korean ver sounds weird to me😭 .. Can i suggest skz kingdom behind the scenes vids on their channel!! Since you just finished it i think it'd be great for thurstays since its still freash on your mind!

[@PaganReacts]

Great idea!

[@askaevriliyanti1791]

Correct me if I'm wrong... As i remembered this song is first song which Wooj*n left.

[@PaganReacts]

I believe so

[@jasonblanco1752]

I personally thought it was referencing hellevator

[@tonyra9473]

There is an English version of this song too xxx

[@Aurawolfgirl2000]

I think this video might help make Levanter make a little more sense? kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6GpfYJpnJt2ick It's sort of a summary of their storyline so far (from that point in time at least)

[@casapochacco]

You need to see blueprint by skz!!

[@silent_death-y9l]

💜💜💜💜

[@tanushkadawre5183]

taeyang new colab with bts jimin has came out yesterday please react on it too😁💜

[@john_chhantyal]

FIRST

[@luanafernandes3394]

Reaction EXO - Love Shot

[@Pkx5]

Pagan jimin tomorrow will release an collaboration song with taeyang it’s called VIBE please listen to it ❤