ATEEZ was formed in 2018, at the beginning of the 4th gen, with eight members: Yunho, San, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, Wooyoung, Mingi, and Jongho. They, like Dreamcatcher, have very in-depth storylines through their songs and especially music videos, and, also like Dreamcatcher, I won’t be going incredibly specific with every comeback’s meaning unless I think it’s vital to understand the song.

Here are my credentials: I’ve been a fan of ATEEZ for about a year or so, after I watched them on Kingdom, and a kind-of (?) ATINY for a few months. I admit that from what I’ve seen, I prefer their older work to their newer work, but so far that’s only true for their titles, and may not be accurate to their b-sides. I haven’t had the chance to listen in-depth to their new albums yet, so I figured that this was a good opportunity.

Edit: (5-31-24) Guess who’s going to see them on tour???

Edit: (8-19-24) Read the concert review here.

EP #1: Treasure; All To Zero

They debuted with Pirate King, which, though a little unpolished, already has what would become the pillars of ATEEZ’s later work: anti-drops, hard hitting EDM beats, a focus on raps, sharp choreography, and a mix between deeper and higher voices. Though it’s not for me (it takes a lot for me to enjoy this kind of “I’m-so-cool” track), it is admittedly a very good introduction to ATEEZ as a group, and I respect it far more than I respect most other songs in this vein.

Treasure is also a single from this album, and is more minimalistic and more rap-heavy than Pirate King. Rather than the anti-drop of their debut, though, Treasure’s chorus follows through on its build-up and is ultimately far more satisfying for it. It’s still an “I’m-cooler-than-you” track, of course, but at least it’s also a bop.

From the EP, Treasure Ep.1: All To Zero, I didn’t have a hidden gem but I enjoyed the rhythm of My Way.

EP #2: Treasure; Zero To One

Say My Name is one of the ATEEZ songs that I would say I know best, and distinguishes itself right away with its unique whistling hook and the time it takes to set up its great build-up. It also includes a drumline—though it’s slight—in the pre-chorus, and I really enjoyed how the bridge flows into the last chorus and eventually the outro. I wanted to point out that though I normally would have a problem with the raps, I don’t here, because they honestly fit it quite well and don’t feel like a random digression shoved in to give The Rapper™ something to do.

Hala Hala, the other single from the album, gives me a bit of whiplash, truth to be told. Many of its parts are good, especially the pre-chorus, but together none of those good parts are done justice.

From the EP, Treasure Ep.2: Zero To One, my hidden gem was absolutely Promise. It falls more into the dark synth genre, and manages to do something of an anti-drop while subverting the usual stagnation that one usually falls into, creating quite a catchy song.

EP #3: Treasure; One To All

Wave immediately stands out from the rest of ATEEZ’s discography, not only with its tropical beats and “Hakuna Matata” chorus but also just the general happy vibe that the song’s imbued with. After going through so many dark and serious tracks (with many more to come), Wave is both a very welcome break and a head scratcher, to be honest. I do like the song in isolation—the outro is truly excellent—but I get too distracted by how out of place it is to fully enjoy it.

Illusion, the other single from this album, is also more upbeat than is usual for ATEEZ, and though it’s a bit of a goofy track, truth be told, I’m more than willing to throw up my hands and have a good time.

From the EP, Treasure Ep.3: One To All, I enjoyed the high notes and chanty post-chorus of Utopia, the catchiness of the pre-chorus and ethereal quality of Dancing Like Butterfly Wings, and the drumbeats of Aurora. I think this is my favorite EP so far!

Album #1: Treasure; All To Action

Wonderland, like many excellent k-pop tracks, feels like it arrives rather than starts, and though its mostly-English intro is utterly nonsensical, this song is too good not to win me over. At first, you’ll think it’s bound for an anti-drop, and it almost has one, but then it drags itself back from the brink and shuttles forward, managing to combine EDM, a marching band, and a deranged sea shanty together into a concoction so crazy that it works. And that bridge? Gets me pumped every time. I will say that I prefer the Symphony No.9 Version from their “The World: Epilogue” version, which really elevates it.

From the full album, Treasure Ep.FIN: All To Action, while I enjoyed the electro-breakdown and “tell me who are you, who am I?” of Dazzling Light, the great buildup of Win, and the encouragement in Sunrise, my hidden gem was definitely the sentimental, warm, Thank U. Thank U is a song that I have a background with: Hongjoong wrote this for Seonghwa about their friendship, as thanks for his support and a promise to always support him in return. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sap; give me a cheesy song about friendship and I’m 100% there.

EP #4: Treasure Epilogue

When I mentioned being more of a fan of ATEEZ’ earlier discography, it was really Answer that I was mainly talking about. Since the first time I heard it, it’s never lost its spark for me, and I think it honestly has one of the best builds I’ve seen in a k-pop song. The pre-chorus, then the chorus, then the post-chorus, and finally the vocalizing to cap it off are full on excellent, and I do mean that. Plus, I’ve never been able to resist a “let’s burn it all down” song as long as I’ve been alive, so you better believe that whenever I hear this one, I get the urge to turn up my headphones to ear-splitting levels of loudness and spin in circles.

From the EP, Treasure Epilogue, I loved the return of the sea shanty with a more broken-down and distorted follow through in Horizon (my hidden gem), and the vocal showcase in the softer, more vulnerable Star 1117. I also enjoyed the strings in the outro; ATEEZ should use strings more often.

See you next time for Part 2. Tschüss!