[Album Review] GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2 (11th Mini Album) – ATEEZ

ATEEZ is nominated for Best Male Group, Best Stage Presence and Best Visuals in the 2025 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Ice On My Teeth (Olive Alive Ver.) is nominated for Best Remixed Track, Lemon Drop is nominated for Best Music Video, while In Your Fantasy is nominated for Best Concept, Best Electronic Song and Best International Song by a Korean Artist (English). Support ATEEZ, Ice On My Teeth, Lemon Drop and In Your Fantasy by voting here today.

Part 2 of the GOLDEN HOUR series by ATEEZ is the next album to be reviewed. The group’s 11th mini-album to date was released in mid-November 2024 and features 6 tracks, including the title track Ice On My Teeth. Overall, this was a very strong mini-album from ATEEZ, with some standout songs in the second half. As such, I highly recommend you check out GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2.

Before GOLDEN HOUR: Part.2, ATEEZ released GOLDEN HOUR: Part.1 (led by the single WORK) in 2024. More recently, ATEEZ also returned with GOLDEN HOUR: Part.3 (featuring Lemon Drop) in June 2025, before re-releasing the mini-album in July 2025 as GOLDEN HOUR: Part.3 ‘In Your Fantasy Edition’ with the single In Your Fantasy leading the mini-album.

1. DEEP DIVE – Up first is the hip-hop DEEP DIVE. The synth work is cool – I particularly liked the etching synths in the background of HONGJOONG’s rapping at the end of the song. However, I would have liked the song more had the beat gone a little harder. I like the autotune filtering of the vocals, which helped keep them and the song lowkey. This very much complements the message of being in a state of being held down (not by choice, but constantly to the point that they know how to adapt in such situations). (7.5/10)

2. Scene 1: Value – Scene 1: Value is a predominantly instrumental track that starts off with some creepy and haunting orchestral and accordion music, which felt perfect for the introduction to a haunted house. I also believe there was some humming alongside this (though it might be an instrument). In piecing together the elements of this comeback, I think this track is intended for the mansion location in ATEEZ’s Ice On My Teeth music video (see the music video below). But in true ATEEZ fashion, the latter half of the track swaps out the orchestra and humming for a faint sample of the violins used in Ice On My Teeth, pounding (but very satisfying beats), and the slightly rapped line of ‘Great minds think alike’.

3. Ice On My Teeth (Title Track) – Click here for my full review of Ice On My Teeth. (8/10)

4. Man on Fire – Whilst also lowkey, Man on Fire features some really cool bass beats, hollow percussion and twirling flutes to become one of the mini-album’s strongest contenders for memorable tracks. For the most part, this is what the verses mainly consist of. However, when it came to the choruses and the instrumental break, I liked how the other synths filled out the rest of the background, taking Man on Fire to a whole new level. Powerful vocals and dynamic rapping also help with this. These were also quite memorable. (10/10)

5. Selfish Waltz – I alluded earlier that there is more than one song for the most memorable track on the mini-album, and Selfish Waltz is the alternative contender. I find this a refreshing number, despite the song’s lyrics being about a toxic relationship. I really liked the R&B vibes that come at the end of the choruses – coming off the subtly groovy background, this aspect of Selfish Waltz hits hard and gives off such a mature vibe. With regard to that subtly groovy background, I really liked the trance-like setup and the layering of synths. Selfish Waltz also boasts strong vocals and rapping from the members. There was a lot to like in the song, and I liked it. (10/10)

6. Enough – Being a year after the album’s release, the most succinct way I found to describe Enough is ‘uplifting atmospheric rock’. There was an epic vibe to the song, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was also a genuine surprise to find out that most of the song’s lyrics were in English (sans a few lines at the final rap sequence shared by HONGJOONG and MINGI). Wished they’d gone all the way on that aspect, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of Enough. I felt some vocals were drowned out at certain points, and I wished this had been corrected. But Enough was also another memorable song and effort from ATEEZ. (9/10)