Author: Abby Graham
ATEEZ! My heroes! My NO1’s! My dear, close, and personal friends have released yet another smashing EP entitled Golden Hour: Part 4. But first, ATEEZ is an 8-member K-pop boy group under KQ Entertainment with members: SEONGHWA, HONGJOONG, YUNHO, YEOSANG, SAN, MINGI, WOOYOUNG, and JONGHO. I’m sure you know all about them from my previous blogs, where I went a little too wild with the blog by being way too honest about how I was celebrating and reacting to their new music (all appropriate things for my age group). But their new EP—PERIOD. It has five songs on it: “Ghost,” “Adrenaline,” “NASA,” “On The Road,” and “Choose.” And let me tell you, hit after hit.
From Jongho’s (my man) vocals in On The Road to Mingi’s (my man) rap in Adrenaline, to Wooyoung’s (my man) red hair… Not enough good things can be said about each member, and before you say that I am glazing them, you should’ve heard me talking about their 2023 HIT song, Bouncy. NOW THAT’S GLAZING. This EP has a club feel to it, as all the songs have an adrenaline-pumping, high-octane vibe, which makes you focus less on the lyrics and more on how the hell one is going to learn that choreo.
Now, as much as I want to go song by song and explain the meaning of everything, lowkey, some of the songs are just “I wanna see y’all shake it,” and while I agree, this album made me vibe to the beat A LOT MORE than vibing to the lyrics. However, there are two songs where the meaning of the songs really stuck out to me, and those songs are “Choose” and “On The Road.”
In Choose, the lyrics reflect on the memory of falling in love and frame the relationship as an intentional, ongoing decision, emphasizing devotion, emotional certainty, and the promise to stay by someone’s side through time and change. And in On The Road, the lyrics focus on perseverance and ATEEZ’s journey as a group, looking back on struggles and doubt while affirming their determination to keep moving forward together, no matter how difficult or uncertain the journey becomes. Both had Mingi and Hongjoong listed as writing credits, and if you know anything about ATEEZ, the members are very involved in the writing and arrangement process of their music. You can see glimpses of each member’s influence on all of these tracks, which is something unique that not a lot of groups can say they have.
Each song on this EP has its own vibe (“Adrenaline” leans into house-inspired dance-pop energy, “Choose” settles into smooth R&B-tinged soft pop, “Ghost” carries an alternative R&B mood, “NASA” explores bright synth-pop textures, and “On the Road” closes with an anthemic pop and hip-hop fusion feel), but the title song, Adrenaline, is making idols all around hide to avoid doing the dance challenge because it is TOUGH. Trust me, I have been dancing my whole life, and that song makes me feel like a slippery seal trying to grab the fish that people are throwing at me. In the music video (linked below), you can see that this is a very dance-heavy song, which has like four dance breaks where each member is just going crazy (in a cool way, I promise).
To end this blog in an appropriate way, I will say a few things. The first being: listen to this EP. If you are a fan of artists like The Weeknd, Doja Cat, or Stray Kids, you might enjoy this EP. Another thing I’ll say is that even if you don’t like one song on this EP, you will like another. Each song has its own genre, which, again, is something ATEEZ does an amazing job at. Every one of their releases has a song for any emotion you’re feeling. Feeling lonely? Try listening to On The Road. Feeling romantic? Listen to Choose. In need of a confidence boost? Listen to NASA. And the last thing I will say directly to KQ ENT. (ATEEZ’s company), thank you for giving Yeosang lines and Jongho screen time. Amen. Also, one of my third graders said that ATEEZ is “tough,” so don’t listen to me—listen to them.
Abby Graham | Digital Media Director