A World-First Again: Stray Kids' Unbroken Streak

First-week sales hit 3.28 million, on pace for 9th consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 — despite fewer tracks

[넥스트포스트=박해도 전문위원] Stray Kids released their 10th mini-album "THIS & THAT" worldwide on August 7 at 1 p.m. KST. The album features eight tracks built around a coffee theme, including the title track "This & That," with each song visualized through a "roast level" and "tasting score" format. The pre-release digital single "Run It," released in June, topped iTunes' Top Songs chart in 43 overseas markets, building anticipation ahead of the comeback.
According to Hanteo Chart figures released on August 14, "THIS & THAT" sold approximately 3.28 million copies in its first week domestically — about 8 percent more than the 3,036,360 copies moved by their fourth studio album "KARMA," released last August. Notably, the sales increase came even though the album's track count dropped from 11 to 8, making it a mini-album rather than a full-length release.

The domestic sales momentum is translating into strong projections for the US market. Trade publication HITS Daily Double forecasts that "THIS & THAT" will move roughly 335,000 album units in its first week in the US, enough to top the Billboard 200. Pure album sales — combining physical copies and downloads — are projected at around 325,000 units. If that forecast holds, it would mark the group's best-ever US first-week performance, surpassing "KARMA," which debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 313,000 units.

Stray Kids has topped the Billboard 200 with eight consecutive album releases dating back to 2022's "ODDINARY" through last year's special album "DO IT" — a first for any artist in the chart's history. A ninth consecutive No. 1 with this release would extend that unprecedented streak.

At a press conference held August 6 at Conrad Seoul in Yeongdeungpo-gu, the group indicated that they don't set out to chase specific records when preparing an album. Stray Kids has continued expanding its global footprint, having won Album of the Year at the 2025 MAMA Awards, taken home eight trophies at the Asia Artist Awards, claimed the Album Division Daesang at this year's Golden Disc Awards, and been named K-pop Group of the Year at the iHeartRadio Music Awards.

넥스트포스트 박해도 전문위원 pooksi@nextpost.co.kr