TREASURE are a part of the 4th generation of k-pop, having debuted in mid-2020 after being formed through the k-pop survival show YG Treasure Box the year before. They debuted with twelve members, who are approximately equally Korean and Japanese: Hyunsuk, Jaehyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Jeongwoo, Junghwan, Mashiho, and Yedam, though the last two left the group in late 2022.

Here are my credentials: Basically none? I’ve heard of Treasure, and I’ve seen snippets of their members on social media or in compilation videos, but I’ve only heard one of their songs all the way through. I do really like that song, though, and since they’re having a comeback soon, I figured this would be a good time to give them a chance.The First Step: Treasure Effect

Single #1: The First Step, Chapter One

Boy was their official debut, though of course they released work as a group during their show. Right away, I noticed that this song does both the “I’m-cooler-than-you” route and the “I’m the only one for you” route, which makes for an odd combination. I think that it’s okay, and it’s definitely vibey and easy to listen to. It’s a very YG track, and I think it suffers from that, feeling more like a rehash of other groups than something unique. But again, I don’t dislike it.

Single #2: The First Step, Chapter Two

I Love You is a bit gentler and poppier than Boy was, and its underlying beat is quite bubbly, and easy to like. I enjoyed the verses a lot, but I’m not a fan of either the raps, which feel very heavy and harsh for what’s so far been a light listen, or the chorus, which is so empty that I don’t have much to say about it. Those two things are a shame, though, because this track has good bones, but doesn’t build on them in a satisfying way. Similarly, I felt that the music video was also divided in two: this lighter, breezy, summery feeling a la ZeroBaseOne, and this super-serious, boy-group noise music a la NCT 127. Obviously I personally prefer the first one, but if you’re going for the latter, don’t half ass it. Go for it.

Single #3: The First Step, Chapter Three

Remember two seconds ago when I said “go for it, don’t half ass it” if you’re going to copy NCT 127? Well, I got my wish. 20 seconds in and I was already wincing because I brought this on myself. It’s uncomfortable in its attempts to be “sexy” or “mysterious” and just comes across as a bunch of teenage boys trying too hard. Like if this was BTS’ War Of Hormone without any of the charisma or the great beat or the so-stupid-its-hilarious lyrics. But seriously, whatever I have to say about MMM, I can’t say that I don’t buy what they’re selling. The members of Treasure aren’t the problem here; they do their best, but the material is so lackluster not even the Bangtan Boys themselves could make it likable.

Album #1: The First Step: Treasure Effect

My Treasure is the last of the four tracks from Treasure’s first series, and goes in the opposite direction from MMM (thank the heavens), with a sound not dissimilar to I Love You, just expanded and richer. It’s nothing groundbreaking, sure, but I’ll take a solid, synth-based pop song over noise music every day of the week. And finally, we have a chorus that doesn’t stop right when the track is getting interesting, but spirals out and feels earned! This is probably my own personal bias, but I also think that this sound fits them better than the “I’m-cooler-than-you” sound, which doesn’t feel genuine.

From the album, The First Step: Treasure Effect, I enjoyed the light, fun-loving energy of Come To Me (my hidden gem), and tropical influences in summery Going Crazy.

EP #1: The Second Step, Chapter One

JikJin has quite a strong opening, marrying their poppier, synthier sound that I so liked in My Treasure with a harsher beat that seems to be more of their signature style. And then…we have the anti-drop of all anti-drops. Ugh. We had such a great—and I do mean great—build-up, and were so close to a great song! This could’ve been their strongest track, and that chorus just completely ruins it. Come on, guys!

From the EP, The Second Step: Chapter One, I enjoyed the surprising beat drop and hand-clapping led chorus of U, and the gentler acoustic guitar and quite nice vocals of It’s Okay.

EP #2: The Second Step, Chapter Two

Hello is the one song of Treasure’s that I’d heard before I did this review, and I admit that it kind of set me up for failure in a way, because I still think that it’s their best song. It’s just so colorful and bright and…effervescent that it’s impossible not to smile. Its synthy production and never ceasing energy are infectious, and by the time it all crashes together in the bridge, it’s a celebration. Also, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m a linguistics major and seeing the signs with “hello” in a dozen different languages just absolutely warmed my heart. So, really, there was never a contest.

From the EP, The Second Step: Chapter Two, I enjoyed the laid-back catchiness of Clap, but my hidden gem was absolutely the energetic, rock-tinged Thank You, which feels like classic J-pop.

Album #2: Reboot

Bona Bona goes for an electronic sound as well, yet more confident and polished. I was bracing myself for another anti-drop, truth be told, and I’m not positive if it had one? Technically the beat fell down, but it had enough energy to carry the song forward, so I’m not too mad at it. I wish the brass was a bit smoother, but besides that, it’s pretty solid. That post-chorus, though? Spectacular. I know that YG has a (deserved) reputation of often trying to patch up a lackluster song with a “party chorus”, but this one is great. I wish that it was the chorus. It had me genuinely tapping my head.

From the album, Reboot, I enjoyed the dance-floor stomp of I Want Your Love, the great, percussion-led build-up of Run (my hidden gem), the pop-meets-acoustic sound of Stupid, and the great vocals of The Way To.

Single #4: King Kong

I didn’t see a synth-based track coming when I clicked on King Kong, or for the opening line to be “girl you’re so fire”. I was definitely a fan of the verses, especially in their more melodic moments, but I assumed I would be disappointed with an anti-drop. Thankfully, they surprised me, and there’s a pretty good payoff instead. It’s not one of my favorites from them, but it’s solid. I’d place it somewhere in the middle of their titles.

EP #3: Pleasure

To me, “Yellow” always brings forward Coldplay’s song of the same name, so associating it with such a bubbly and upbeat song was interesting to me. It’s straight out of a drama, for better or for worse, wearing its heart on its sleeve and owning its oddities straight out, which is always nice to see. The MV is adorable, I can’t deny it. That being said, I just wish the song went further; its verses feel like it’s building to something big, some kind of huge catchphrase chorus, but it just…doesn’t. Of course there’s the YG party chorus / bridge at the end, which improves on the problem a bit, but I guess I was hoping for something a little more like Hello and a little less like background music.

From the EP (I think it’s an EP, is four songs an EP? Battle to the death in the comments down below), I enjoyed the synthy punch of Last Night, which should’ve been the title and I will die on this hill.

EP #4: Love Pulse

From the start, Paradise has this…groove that I really wasn’t expecting. There was a lot I wasn’t expecting in general, really; the teasers seemed to indicate a mature, dark sound, like a lot of their past singles, but this song is as summer as it gets, really. It’s bright and joyful and has this golden age musical sensibility that I’m 100% here for. It reminded me a lot of ATEEZ’s Wave, not only in sound, but because it’s a standout coming from a group known for darker concepts. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Hello, in my opinion, but it comes damn close. I don’t have that much more to say about it, really, except that it made me happy when I watched it, and that’s the best compliment I can give it.

From the EP, I enjoyed the synthy Now Forever and the acoustic, heartbroken Better Than Me, but my hidden gem was Everything, with its percussive summer sound and especially its take on the YG party chorus. This is absolutely my favorite release from Treasure (seriously, it singlehandedly raised the review score)—each song is different, but it’s strong all the way through—and it makes me excited for where they’re going in the future. Kudos, guys, you surprised me.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. Like I said, I didn’t know much about Treasure when I started this review, and I feel like I’ve changed that. I watched their interview with Sakshima, saw a couple quick funny moments with one of my favorite idols, Tsuki, and their appearance on I Dare You. I had some laughs and got to know them, and that was a nice break from my review schedule.

My Top 5 songs are Hello, Paradise, Thank You, Bona Bona, and My Treasure, with Come To Me as an honorable mention. Treasure gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me. Most of their singles aren’t for me, to be honest. They fall into a lot of my pet peeves when it comes to music—empty posturing, anti-drops, and great build-ups without payoff—and so I can’t really score them any higher. That being said, the songs that don’t follow those patterns are actually quite strong, especially the b-sides, and I enjoyed them! I hope that they do more of that sound in the future.

Next time, we’re finishing the SHINee deep dive. Tschüss!