Tag: ATEEZ

The next comeback one this very intensive comeback week is by ATEEZ. 2019 is already a jam-packed year for the group, with the group returning with Say My Name, HALA HALA, Wave and Illusion just within the first 10 months of the year. And as there are less than 3 months to go, there is time for another comeback. Today, the group returned with Wonderland, which is also the title track off their very first studio album, Treasure EP.Fin: All To Action. ATEEZ has also been exceptionally busy since their last comeback performing at every KCON and has also embarked on an Australian tour as well.

Wave took a break from all the intensity that I think many fans have associated with ATEEZ since their debut to fit the more brighter summer season when Wave‘s release occurred. Wonderland returns to that intensity level from their past. Though, I am pretty sure they exceeded it. The song has a very grand and epic start, that I find fitting for this style and the group. It is as if they took the Pirate King instrumental and amped it in a way that made it very different from the original track. There is a lot of energy in this track as well and that is thanks to their suspense building. Those beeps and pause just before the pre-chorus was very impactful and do the job. The vocal work was pretty good. But once again, the rappers of ATEEZ shine very brightly in this song with their rough and strong delivery. I do find the song to be less catchy as I had hoped. But like yesterday’s review, the song might need a few listens.

To compliment the epic and grand nature of the song, the video was equally as epic and grand. It was very dark and I like the vibe this gave off. You can tell by the many scenes and the overall quality of the video that their company went all out to ensure that this will be the best video out of their releases thus far. The camera shots managed to make everything feel so much more intense and made the video feel a lot more fierce. I really liked how they also extended flag-waving into the border of the box. That looked cool and unique. As this is the final section of their Treasure series, I wonder if the videos are linked together in some way. That isn’t something to work out now, but it would be interesting as the videos felt very different from one another.

That epic and grand vibe also infiltrate the stage performance. I think ATEEZ have proven themselves to be an upcoming performance group. This routine and their past ones have also showcased their talents in the performance department. I liked how their entire body shakes in this video. I also like their arm movements throughout the choreography, which kind of reminded me of tutting.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

Two weeks ago, ATEEZ made their comeback with two music videos. The first was for WAVE, which I reviewed on the day of release. The second music video is for ILLUSION, which I said I would review at a later date. Fast forward two weeks, we find ourselves looking a little closer at ATEEZ’s ILLUSION. In other related news, ATEEZ won their first weekly music chart with WAVE on MCountdown last week.

To me, ILLUSION sounds like the song that you would expect if we were to put all ATEEZ’s title tracks onto a spectrum. The song isn’t as upbeat and bright like how WAVE turned out, while it isn’t as intense as Say My Name (from earlier this year). However, there was a level of energy that makes it quite suitable to follow off WAVE and a level of fierceness in their vocal and rapping delivery that brings it in line with their past tracks. It isn’t a track that stands out within the first listen. There isn’t anything ‘new’ offered in this track that adds a layer of uniqueness to the group (as I had already established).  So, it took me a good few listens to get into the track. I personally find the rappers to stand out the most in this track, with it feeling like a dominant component. Even the rappers filtered onto the vocal sections, which I thought gave off a decent effect. There some good hooks in the track but it could have been better if they were more profound to make the song feel more blastable.

Based on the ending of ILLUSION’s music video, it might be the prequel to the fun that existed in the WAVE music video. The location they end up in the final sections of the song is those which we find them in during WAVE. Using this mentality, the group would be in dream-land for this video, which makes sense given the different backgrounds, flying pirate ship, floating objects and the purple island they end up exploring. But it is another fun-filled video to enjoy. The only thing that confuses me is the ‘Open Your Eyes‘ whisper we get at the end. It doesn’t seem to connect to WAVE, so my guess it is hinting towards something larger.

What I think the performance for ILLUSION could have benefited from are freestyle moments. Moments that are more like on stage improvisations. If these were embedded in these routine, the performance could have been more lively and fun, fitting in with the atmosphere of the song. But what we got is already quite energetic and upbeat, so it is good enough.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

And I am back! Thank you for putting up with my disappearance. Without any more delays, let’s jump right back into the review grind! I thought I start with more recent releases and ‘work my way’ backwards. The first artist up is ATEEZ, who returned yesterday with WAVE and ILLUSION. As I will be trying to catching up on many reviews as possible, I have decided to review WAVE first and return to ILLUSION another day. We last saw ATEEZ through their Say My Name and HALA HALA promotions earlier this year in January.

WAVE features that tropical sound that is heavily overused by industry due to its perfect fit for the Summer season. And while that could be a good cue to start rolling eyes, the song does feature a number of great elements that really throws out that belief of being ‘another’ tropical house track. The first has to be the inclusion of ATEEZ’s intense style that we have seen from day dot for the group. While this isn’t as heavy or serious, I find the song having a good balance between their serious nature and the lightheartedness of the bright season. The second has to be the guitar, which I find really refreshing. It adds to the lightness of the track and really drives the song melodically, which isn’t something I found happening that much in their previous tracks. The vocals and rapping is the third element that makes me enjoy the song. The vocals add to the melody-driven side of the song, while the rapping adds extra texture to the song, which I find to be equally as enjoyable. Overall, WAVE is a nice track. Sure, it turns towards something typical but the group manages to make it one of their own.

When you think of the title WAVE, the first thing you will think of is the beach. And well, we get fairly close to a beach for this music video. While I think a small section of the video is set by a beach, the main ‘wave scenes’ we observe are along the coastline. And I think the coastline is at a place that has featured heavily in past music videos. On top of that, the video showcases the guys having fun at a local supermarket and at a skate park. Not exactly an eventful video when you watch it but definitely quite fitting for the song’s atmosphere and the season they are in.

If their past performances had intensity, then the accompanying choreography for WAVE has personality and character. All smiles throughout the performance, which is a little foreign for ATEEZ in my books. But I like how fun they make the dance, especially with those facial expressions and smiles.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

Last month, ATEEZ returned with their first comeback since their debut, Say My Name. As part of the teasing process for their comeback and second mini-album (album review coming later this weekend), the group had released a Performance Video for the track HALA HALA, which lasted 1:29 minutes. Now, almost a month later, the group has released a full music video (or another performance video) for entire HALA HALA track that was also featured alongside Say My Name on the Treasure Part 2: Zero to One mini-album.

I liked how the song first started off soft. Knowing ATEEZ and the tracks they have done so far, this softer start really creates a tense atmosphere. It gradually builds up, peaking off during the pre-chorus vocal part. Vocals here were superb and this showcased more of the group on that side of things. The chorus has one of those fake drops, which I think was an interesting choice and definitely gives the song some aesthetics. The rapping in the second verse and bridge was perfectly rough for the song. And I liked how they changed the final chorus up to really give the song that peak ending. I think the song was a really good track to follow up with. The hip-hop influence was strong and I felt like this further extends their potential. It isn’t your typical song, so I understand how this may not be for everyone. But for someone who is looking for a new group to follow, this song just solidifies the need to pay attention to ATEEZ.

I will be completely honest. The black outfits, along with the mask and wide brim hats really give me the creeps. It is actually quite mysterious. The same outfit appeared in the Say My Name video but I am still a little confused on why they don the outfit in the earlier video. They do take it off towards the end, showing a smear of blood on the corner of one of the member’s mouths, so I guess the idea of vampires has to be thrown into the possible theory mix. This video just leaves me with more questions. Apart from that, I thought the performance video was well put together.

I don’t know about you but I wanted more stomping in the performance. The song was perfect for just that. But everything else we got was equally as good. I really liked that slow fist slash that appeared during the first pre-chorus. I thought that was rather cool to watch. The chorus itself looked dynamic and the entire performance does a good job of showcasing their skills in dancing.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

ATEEZ made their debut towards the end of 2018 with two title tracks – Pirate King and Treasure. Both tracks and their mini-album, TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero, has gained a lot of attention from what I can see. And with that, the group is continuing their momentum, just months after wrapping up their debut promotions, by returning with their first comeback, Say My Name and the mini-album, TREASURE EP.2: Zero To One.

The first that popped into my head was the familiarity with some of the melodies within the song (i..e during the very start of the song and the pre-chorus). I just can’t pinpoint the name of the songs that it reminds me of. I am not too troubled by this as this does bring back a sense of nostalgia. I liked the instrumental to the track, with a strong presence of hip-hop influences apparent in the song. I really enjoyed the guitar in the verses and the intensity that the pre-chorus also brings to the song, connecting more subdued verses and the dramatic chorus together in an effortless manner. Vocals were really good in the song but once again, the rappers are the ones that manage to bring the punch to the song. The ‘Say My Name‘ repetition gave the song an addictive nature, partly due to the rough texture we get from the rapper who sang that part, which leaves a strong and lasting impression. Overall, another excellent track from ATEEZ.

Based on what I can see, the sets for this music video looks insanely expensive. I don’t know why I think this but the sets do remind me of BTS’s sets. The music video features a very mysterious plotline, which I don’t get whatsoever. It just left me confused and the lyrics didn’t help at all. Besides the plotline, there were choreography shots which I thought, with the help of editing, looked really cool. The very shots at the end that snapped between their members dancing in their more casual outfits and the members dancing with the black outfits/hats that they wore in their teaser images, were a clear example of this.

The choreography for this comeback is freaking amazing. There is one move that I thought looked so cool, that it screams attitude and is the one scene that replays in my mind. I am talking about the move at 1:36 of the music video. The rest of the choreography was full of intensity and energy, matching it extremely well to the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Performance – 8.7/10

ATEEZ made their debut at the end of October with Treasure. Since the release, the group have been actively promoting both Treasure and Pirate King on the weekly music shows. In my Treasure review, I did state that Pirate King was some sort of pre-debut single for the group and I believe I misstated that it wasn’t included in the actual album release (I was wrong with this latter bit). Their debut allowed for the release of the music video and proper promotions for the track, bumping it up to title track status.

When I heard the ‘Pirate King‘ titled, I expected something along the lines of Pirates of the Carribean. Don’t ask me why that is the first thing that popped into my head but it just did. The song isn’t anything like that official soundtrack. Instead, we get a very bombastic EDM track, which did have a slight theatrical flair and actually could be a part of a soundtrack to some sort of grand movie. I really like some of the synths in the song, which added electrifying details to the song to make it very appealing. The main concern with the song was that the instrumental was quite heavy and loud (not really an ideal track to blast over and over again). One of the possibilities that this could lead to is the overshadowing of the vocals and raps. However, this wasn’t the case as both vocals and raps were definitely well-heard and clear. And like their debut single, vocals and raps were on point!

We don’t have an actual music video for Pirate King, but instead, we have a performance version. For those who are new, you can get two official videos for a title track – the actual music video and a performance version (if there is choreography involved, though this one tends to be optional for some groups). Usually, you get the performance video in one set only. But we are treated to various sets for this video, which I believe to be the same deserts observed in the Treasure music video. It is quite good and the editing between the sets was great.

Amazing performance. The way they moved looked so cool. I particularly like the formation at the start of the second verse and the chorus. And that ending was so powerful. Honestly, I think I know which group I need to look out for (performance wise) next year!

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

Make their official debut this week is ATEEZ, an 8-member male group under KQ Entertainment. The group is made up of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San Minji, Wooyoung and Jongho. Four of the members (Jongjoong, Minji, Wooyoung and Jongho) participated in the survival show MIXNINE. Treasure is their debut title track, which comes from Treasure EP1 All To Zero. They did also release a music video for Pirate King (review coming soon) but it is interestingly omitted from the Treasure album.

Starting off the song is a whole verse of rapping. I think this is a great opener to the group as they boast some skilful rappers as part of their lineup. I like it even more as they put the rapping over that ‘movie style’ wind sound, giving us an opportunity to really process their rapping alone. We then have given a little taster to the vocals in the pre-chorus. Nothing too special however the two lines (the one with everyone joining in and the one split between Wooyoung and Jongho) give off some nice textures to the rest of the song. The chorus felt epic and definitely a major highlight. However, the winning combination has to be the bridge where some of the vocalists and rappers come together to provide a very epic climb to the peak of the song. And it just feels amazing alongside the drum beats we get (building suspense) prior to the final chorus. I would have liked to hear more vocals in the song (on their own) but what we have is an excellent debut song.

Whoever decided to the shoot the video in the desert is incredible. What I have failed to mention about the song thus far is that is rather intense. And the video does a really good job at channelling this intensity.  Interestingly, they didn’t need a military bridge of backup dancers or crazy flashing lights to show off this intensity, They just had themselves, some beautiful yet deserted backdrops and the desert as ways to show off dominance. Their presence was very powerful as well.

To me, the choreography scenes in the music video didn’t feel like they were up to par with the song. It felt much weaker and I was a little disappointed by that. I cannot say for sure, as I cannot seem to locate a live performance for Treasure (they have only begun promotions for Pirate King – which is rather confusing). So I will update the performance section once there is a performance available.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10