ATEEZ return with mini album Golden Hour Part 1 and title song Work.
This has to be the latest review I’ve written but I’m here! Had to be stuck at job 2 till 4 and then at job 1 till 8.30 so I really took ATEEZ’s words seriously – I had to work, baby. I was super excited about this new album (mostly because Blind sounded like everything I ever needed) and I’ve already completely memorized the hook of Work due to the teasers so I’m more than ready for the full experience. ATEEZ’s latest titles took a bit to grow on me but I’ve been obsessed with every single one of them so Work already has an advantage – I loved the silly but optimistic sound of this and it’s nice for ATEEZ to have a fun song to perform because I feel like Work will work so well at concerts (2025 EU are you ready?) so let’s review!
Work is silly, fun, upbeat, easy to memorize, and overall just a great song to put you in a good mood. I’m a bit surprised that this is the concept ATEEZ went for (simply because of their overall lore so far) but I think this is definitely that summer side of them and I like it. Sometimes I just need a song to offer me some melody, a catchy hook, and a good vibe and Work provided me with exactly that. I don’t know if I’m being subjective because I adore ATEEZ but I think they make Work believable – there’s some ATEEZ flavour in this, some of that recognizable energy that only they can deliver, and some elements of reggaeton during that finale. The music video also adds to the fun and the jolly atmosphere of this all so I think Work makes for quite a cohesive listening experience. My favourite ATEEZ songs will forever be their melodic, dramatic, and atmospheric ones (still upset they didn’t perform Inception or Halazia on tour last year) but I feel like they’re trying out something new these last three comebacks and I see the vision – it’s fun! It also doesn’t hurt that they always have at least one melodic, old-school-sounding b-side on their albums to make up for the emotion I’m looking for.
One of the main reasons I was looking forward to this album was the fact that the snippet we heard of Blind had me levitating and I couldn’t wait for the full version to drop! Arriba has a little sister this year because Blind is bringing summer, Latin vibes, and sensuality to the table all wrapped up in a shiny upbeat bow. I feel like they really need to drop a video for this song because summer is already here when I’m listening to Blind as far as I’m concerned. This style really suits them and I think all of them sound so good on this track. Definitely a hidden gem that should be put in the spotlight immediately. Siren is another fun track and a great album closer, and Empty Box is also a fantastic track – more on the emotional side and I love that.
PS. Someone get Choi San a shirt ASAP!