In my limited world of K-pop, I might have fallen for ATEEZ last, but I definitely fell for them the hardest. A lot of that might have to do with how accessible they still seem to fans despite their rising fame, but they also have a ton of great songs!
Like the other K-pop groups I like, ATEEZ also has an insane amount of work already out in the world after just five years together. In fact, Golden Hour: Part 1 marks their tenth mini album, though that doesn’t include stand alone singles, full length albums, and Japanese albums! That’s kind of insane. And though they are not quite as hands on as Stray Kids are in the whole process, at least leader Hongjoong seems to be touching most of the creative process. It’s a wonder any of these guys ever sleep.
Since I’ve gotten my hands on a decent seat for a show in Chicago later this summer, I have been delving more and more into ATEEZ’s extensive discography. With that being said, this is still their first album that I have listened to front to back. I would definitely like to explore all of their work, so I plan to do what I did with Don Broco, and work backwards. It might not work out as well as it did with them, but I like the prospect of approaching their work in an unconventional order. If anything, it will just prove that they are getting better and better over time.
Even though I’ve found that the packaging and presentation of K-pop albums is insane in a super cool way, it’s still crazy to me how much can be spent on a physical copy of just six songs. And in the case of Golden Hour: Part 1, technically only five of those tracks contain actual singing from the group. A part of me knows that the opening and title track is definitely setting up this journey, however many parts there ends up being, but it’s kind of a bummer. Also, given how most of the rest of the tracks go, I kind of have no clue what the over-arching message is supposed to be. If I follow the title track, and even their more ballad-y track, “Empty Box,” it’s about revisiting memories and creating new ones, but being able to look at them all with a sort of fondness.
However, the rest of the tracks on the album all have a hard Latin flair and are for sure party songs. I love a good party song! Especially at this point in time, for whatever reason. And when I look at the English translations of these songs they are kind of naughty! Which to be fair, of the three K-pop groups I’ve been listening to, ATEEZ are the only ones that don’t really seem to care too much about being proper and filtering things that actually happen to people in real life. Again, these are party songs, so they’re singing about dancing, playing to a huge crowd, lust, and making money.
“Blind” is unlike anything I’ve heard from these guys so far, with Hongjoong’s rap being the most memorable part. It’s done in a completely different style than I would associate him with and it was really cool. The trumpet part in between verses sounds really familiar, but the musical break in the middle is wholly original and very fun. And from what I understand, this song is going to be getting a live treatment that’s maybe on the level of “Arriba,” so something to look forward to as far as dancing goes. “Shaboom” continues with the Latin flair with a really sultry start, but it doesn’t quite check the boxes for me like the other tracks on the record. As I said before, “Empty Box,” is as close to a ballad as I’ve ever listened to in K-pop, and everyone’s vocals were so smooth. Hongjoong was especially impressive here because he proves he’s got range! And not just in rapping – the man sings here! So good.
As fun as the other two tracks are on this album, nothing beats the ultimate catchiness of lead single, “Work” and closing track, “Siren.” In fact, the latter almost beat out “Work” as my favorite on this record, but it was the lead single for a reason. “Work” touts some strange little clarinet sound throughout most of the track, but it really makes the song sound more original. There’s a lot of English in this track, but they are ultimately just spitting facts: you have to work to make money, and these guys are working so hard to find success. I think they’re doing it, but still. “Siren” on the other hand consistently had a spanning sound that’s really cool to hear in headphones that really elevated the song. I was singing the chorus out loud by the second listen, and then I was still singing it later! These two tracks are serious ear-worms and I better be hearing them both live later this summer.
Overall, this was a fun first foray into a full K-pop album and it’s got me excited to listen through more of them. Maybe not so much for my future spending, but regardless, I think I’ll be happy with the experience. Look out for more reviews in the future!