Color me confused. I’m not sure why ATEEZ decided to release an album with essentially the same name as their latest EP, Golden Hour: Part 3, so soon, but they did. And the main differences are it’s the “In Your Fantasy Edition” and it’s got a new group song and eight new solo songs. From how I’m looking at it, maybe they should have just had a final album to wrap up this trilogy, but I suppose that wouldn’t wrack up as many record sales.
Either way, if you held off on getting a copy, or copies, of Golden Hour: Part 3, then you could have waited for this In Your Fantasy edition, because this version includes all of the four and a half songs off of it, along with nine other new tracks, plus a Korean version of the titular title track. In a quick review of the songs I’ve already written about, “Lemon Drop” continues to be a bop. “Masterpiece,” though not containing any real memorable moments, definitely has a strong 90s R&B flair. After listening to “Now This House Ain’t a Home” a few more times, I’ve determined this could have come straight off of a mid-2000s emo album. It definitely got better with more plays. “Castle” remains the weakest track, but I do like how “Bridge: The Edge of Reality” bleeds into “In Your Fantasy.”
And if what I’ve been seeing on the internet is accurate, it sounds like this whole third installment might be taking place in Halateez. My knowledge of ATEEZ’s lore is pretty limited, but I do know that this is a dystopian alternative universe. With how drastically different “In Your Fantasy” is to the rest of ATEEZ’s discography, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true. Will the band ever make us privy to the fact? Unsure. In any case, it took me two full listens before I realized that “In Your Fanstasy” is in full English. I wonder if that was on purpose? Seems like it would be a fanstasy for some fans if everything the group did was in English. I hope this track is a little barb to those people while still essentially giving them what they want.
It’s hard for me to pinpoint how the sound for these additional tracks fit into this world, because almost all of them have an EDM undertone. Some are more obvious than others, but that is definitely the throughline. The strongest EDM tracks off the record belongs to Hongjoong’s solo song “No. 1” as well as Mingi’s “Roar.” The former doesn’t really land with me. It sounds like something that would get piped in as filler in between sets of a show. Mingi’s track, on a second listen, really captured me with its intensity. It ended up being my favorite of the solo tracks. A solid second place goes to Yuhno’s “Slide to Me.” It has a bit of an 80s mall beat, but the bassline had me hooked.
Unfortunately for me, the rest of the tracks didn’t really stand out in any special way. I just don’t feel that San is using his voice to its best capacity. Honestly for me, he has been fading into the background with these last few releases. Wooyoung definitely made strides with his song, though it’s not one I’d put on repeat. However I am interested in hearing it live next month. I think it really captures his confidence! Yeosang’s was equally as forgettable as San’s, and Jongho’s transported me right into a musical. I hate musicals. I love Jongho’s talents, but his tastes are completely opposite to mine, so I’d be surprised if I ever jibe with one of his solo songs. With that being said, it belongs on a future Heartstoppers soundtrack.
All in all, I was glad I gave this new edition a solid few listens, especially given that I will be experiencing most of these tracks live in less than a month!