Today May 31, 2024, the K-pop boy group Ateez released their newest EP Golden Hour Part.1.
The EP is six songs long, and the title track is called WORK.
Watch the music video for it here:
Stream the full album here:
Ateez is a boy group of 8 members, formed in 2018. The members include Kim Hongjoong, the leader and one of the two rappers of the group, and the other rapper is Song Mingi. The vocalists in the group are Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho, Kang Yeosang, Choi San, Jung Wooyoung, and Choi Jongho. Hongjoong and Mingi are also songwriters and credited for the tracks on this EP. The fandom for the group is known as Atiny, a combination of the group name and ‘Destiny.’
Introduction: Golden Hour
All of Ateez’s albums and EPs have an introduction to the album that is either purely instrumental or narrated over by Maddox, a member of KQ Entertainment who has produced some of Ateez’s songs.
There is not much here to say about the introduction, it’s not my personal favourite that they have. However, I would be dumb not to acknowledge the beauty in the essentially slam poetry that Maddox brings to every narrated introduction. If that is something you enjoy listening to, the introduction is only about a minute long, and I believe it is compulsory to listen to it at least once when you’re getting your first reaction to the full album.
Blind
Blind is an outstanding song, and it has stuck with me since the previews of each song came out about a week ago. The song is very Latin sounding, which is probably my favourite style of music. I believed this would be the title track of the album, but to be fair, there’s a few of songs on here that could’ve taken that role.
This song is a standout in the album because of how captivating it is. I don’t think you could blindly (pun intended) listen to this album without hearing this song and going, ‘ooh,’ and fans are itching to get a peek at the choreography that comes along with it. After listening to the album for the next couple of weeks I may change my mind, but as of right now I can confidently say this will be my most listened to song on the album.
The music makes you want to dance, and the lyrics rhythm is catchy, and you can feel it in your soul, like you want to sing and shout with them. Listening to this song transports you somewhere, I feel as though I should be in the streets of a bustling city in South America. This is added to by using Spanish in the song, which continues throughout the album.
WORK
To my knowledge of Ateez’s discography, this is the second song they’ve released that I can only describe genuinely as ‘twerk material’. When I first heard the song, and even now that it’s been released and I’ve listened to it in its entirety, all I want to do is shake a**. Truthfully a bit disappointed that it wasn’t included in the official choreography, although not surprising. You can watch their performance of WORK on KBS WORLD TV on YouTube, here:
This song is going to get stuck in the head of anyone who listens to it, made easy by the chorus being purely in English. My favourite part of this song is when Seonghwa is singing the chorus in a rap flow, and then Jongho is adlibbing over it. He does it again later with Wooyoung. That’s something I’ve seen them do quite a bit in their music, and although it isn’t a powerful, intimidating part like in Dune, I think it still adds to the whole track. It’s that part that I think of when the song isn’t currently playing,
In their title tracks, and even just most of their songs in general, Ateez is known for hard hitting endings. This goes for songs as early into their career as Say My Name but is true for the newer tracks such as Crazy Form. This lacks in WORK, in my opinion. The ending feels empty, is the best way to describe it.
Is it a good song? Absolutely, I don’t think this group could release a bad song if they tried. However, in terms of title tracks, they have better.
Empty Box
When the snippets of the tracks for this EP were released, Empty Box stood out to me for two reasons. One, because it is so different from the rest of the album. Empty Box is a soft bedroom pop song in an album of dancey, club music. It doesn’t really seem to fit, and that makes you pay attention to it. It also stood out to me because I knew deep down it would be my favourite, even if not my most listened to.
You can also see the live performance on KBS WORLD TV on YouTube, here:
My lord, though, this song is beautiful, and I can’t say that ballads on albums where they don’t feel like they fit is odd for Ateez. Looking at the song itself, something about it is nostalgic. It’s got the melody of a song that just makes you feel as though you want to cry, like all the emotion has situated itself in your chest and you’re feeling everything. Hongjoong and Seonghwa have both said that it is their favourite song from the EP, and it makes sense. It is such a work of art. I’ve always loved Ateez’s slower songs, like Turbulence, Aurora, One Day at a Time. Empty Box has already made itself a nice warm home in my heart, just where a song like this belongs.
Shaboom
Shaboom is such a fun song, it’s got an amazing anti-drop, and it feels electric to listen to. The chorus scratches my brain so good, but it features such amazing vocals as well. The raps are solid, as they always are from Hongjoong and Mingi.
It’s a song that feels like it has two vibes, but it comes together so well for such an interesting listen. I can’t say it would be my top one to recommend to those unfamiliar with the group or general genre of K-POP. If you were to give it a chance, however, I believe the mix up of the choruses and verses lead to a vibrant experience.
Siren
Speaking of Hongjoong’s raps, wow. This track has an amazing one. This song feels bumping, and it reminds me of their song Outlaw in a way from the instrumental. Also, The Ring, from an earlier album. I’ve seen The Ring in concert, and it was a life-changing experience.
I think live, from what I’ve seen of Ateez performances, this song has the potential to be amazing on stage. I can just imagine the fan chants of ‘ringing siren, ringing siren, ringing siren.’ It may even compete with ‘Break the Wall’… never mind, nothing competes with Guerrilla live.
For a conclusion to the EP, Siren is fantastic. The beat goes so hard. The pre-chorus builds so well into such a fun chorus that goes so hard. It’s going to be absolutely wild on tour, mark my words.
Final thoughts:
Golden Hour: Part. 1 is what I would describe as potentially the #1 summer track of K-POP. Blind, Work, Siren, Shaboom, are all catchy and upbeat songs with Latina and reggae vibes with the potential to be very popular this time of year.
Every album and EP by Ateez covers a different genre and aesthetic than the previous. Their more recent albums as well were very put together, they had a specific theme and genre. To me this is not their most cohesive album as Empty Box is such a stark difference than the other tracks, but I think the overall album is so ‘Ateez’ and the songs by themselves are climbing up into my top favourites by them ever.
It’s the kind of album that feels like a pick ‘n’ mix. You choose the ones you like and stick with those.
I saw a TikTok recently where they were talking about the decline of club culture, and someone had stitched it saying that it’s because no one makes ‘dance on tables in high heels’ music anymore. Well, if K-POP wasn’t so stigmatized in the West, this album would save club culture purely by itself.
I will be singing, “Take my soul, take my heart, el amor es ciego” for the rest of the day.
