Hi! It’s Annie!
The new album has officially dropped and I can say right off the bat that this album is like all of their other albums in one very important way. It also contains some of the best music I’ve ever heard in my life. There’s something about the way that they create music and beats that scratches my brain in just the right way. But this album comes with a whole other level of hype just from the marketing strategies involved with this alone. Just for this album we got a wanted poster of ATEEZ that was the next day torn down with a flag stuck in the middle of the debris, a truck advertising chili peppers spotted at several locations, and mysterious character specific trailers set in a brand new setting for the story they’ve been weaving for years. Not many other groups are so dedicated to their storylines that they’ll release character trailers for their upcoming MV. With all of this hype there is the big question of if it lived up to all of that. We all knew that the music was going to be good; but is it that good? I mean; what do you think? It’s ATEEZ.
‘BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILI PEPPERS)’:
I’m going to start out with this one because this is the main track. Admittedly, this wasn’t originally one of my favorites on the album. And it’s still not my absolute favorite, there are a couple other songs that take that title. But I absolutely love this song! I think it just speaks to the quality of the album that there are songs that I like better than this one. This is such an amazing and upbeat song, and I love it more with each time that I listen to it. It shot up on my list quickly and I don’t get tired of it. One of my favorite parts of the song is the very beginning, because I freaking love the rapper taunts that the song starts out with. And this includes Seonghwa because in this particular song, the track has three rappers. I absolutely love this turn of events and I really wonder if this means they’ll use Seonghwa in the rapper line more often. He’s an amazing rapper and he did such a great job while Mingi was taking a much needed break; I would die if rapper Seonghwa becomes a regular thing! But hearing Hongjoong say “I got time but it’s not for you bro” made my entire life. The song itself is actually about their music itself! They talk about being young and hungry and how their music is something different that they put out into the world. I completely agree considering their music is nothing like anything else I’ve ever heard and my first reaction to hearing it was wondering where it had been all my life. Mingi even included a section in his own rap about how their music is welcoming to everyone. Considering the fact that ATEEZ has made it clear that they are a safe space to so many communities who need that, I loved this inclusion. Though, let’s be honest here, there’s an implication (or more than) in this song that has a completely different meaning. I am also pleasantly amazed that they listened to Atiny after ‘HALAZIA’ by giving the pre-chorus to Yeosang. His voice and deep register is amazing and he deserves to be heard more! They also gave a huge section of the song to Yunho and I’m loving how versatile they’ve been discovering his voice is. Because his voice is one of my favorites in all of K-Pop. But, you know, I’m biased. (Pun intended.)
‘BOUNCY” MV:
There were SO many trailers for this MV and it definitely stirred up the amount of interest they wanted by having so many. In the character trailer we saw the members of ATEEZ all separated into groups of two. Hongjoong and Mingi had a more western vibe (goat included) where they were watching the city from a rooftop, we also saw a wanted poster of Mingi being tossed around. We saw San and Wooyoung hiding out in a van with San as a boxer and Wooyoung as his manager. Yunho and Jongho were in a mechanic shop but also seemed to be moonlighting as undercover cops; or are undercover cops. And Seonghwa and Yeosang were heading a motorcycle gang making their way through the city. There were a lot of theories as to what this could mean right off the bat. Some people thought that this took place after the break out in ‘HALAZIA’ and that they were now hiding out. Others thought that this could be a past look at HALATEEZ. Everything was thrown into even more confusion when other trailers came out depicting the members in school uniforms at the academy we’ve seen in past MVs. Well this MV has now dropped…and I can’t stay that I have any more answers. I think I need to watch it at least another half a dozen times so that I can start understanding it a little more. Mingi seems to shoot up a saloon, which I’m sure isn’t really helping his poster status. My favorite pieces in this MV actually came from San and Wooyoung as the boxer and boxing manager. Wooyoung’s facial expressions were amazing and made me laugh! The other members we see in their concepts from the trailers, but they don’t seem to have much of a story going on more than what we’ve already seen. They don’t really get to the school until the end, but it feels more like a setting than a plot point. At least for now. It could be that this is ATEEZ and before we were seeing HALATEEZ? My guess is that this will come back later. They all get back together and blow up the town by the end of it. But I have so many questions! Is this ATEEZ or HALATEEZ? What was that town? Does the town being blown up help their cause in the revolution? Despite my confusion, this has to be one of my favorite ATEEZ MVs. There’s so much going on in the very best way and the concept is completely impeccable. Also new iconic choreography complete with a new iconic walk! What’s not to love? (Except for the fact that Jongho needed way more screen time than he got.)
‘This World’:
I have to say, this album gives off very HALATEEZ vibes, but perhaps nothing so much as this song. This song is about the corruption of the world that they’re living in, asks what they are prepared to sacrifice, and declares that sometimes you need a little darkness to get out of the darkness. One of my favorite elements of this song is that it includes the PSA from the last album as part of the song. The repeated words add a chilling effect that fits it so perfectly. There is a willingness to fight in this song, but the song is also a little about them sacrificing themselves for the cause. Considering the position they currently have in the K-Pop world, it does really make me wonder if they take a little inspiration from that business. But who knows! I mean, these are the pirates of the K-Pop industry. But that aside, we do know that HALATEEZ were committing violent acts for the sake of restoring emotion from their performance of ‘Rhythm Ta’ on Kingdom as well as a few other things. Though needed in the world they’ve created, it does absolutely play off this theme of needing darkness to defeat the darkness. Maybe this is a clue for this being a more HALATEEZ album? But Hongjoong has been pretty agile about clearing up the storyline lately, so he could come out and completely put all of my theories to shame. That is what usually happens.
‘Dune’:
This was one of my two favorite songs on the album. There’s another possible hint here for this being a HALATEEZ album. ‘HALA HALA’ actually comes up in this track at the very beginning, but very briefly. This song has a really great beat and is very energetic despite the somber tone of the lyrics. The lyrics are despairing wondering why this is happening to them and wondering how much more they’ll have to sacrifice. This also talks about the loss of passion for the war and wanting to give it all up. Understandable for anyone fighting in a war or leading a rebellion. But the tempo of the song is so different, the depth of the lyrics come as an amazing surprise for what you’re initially expecting. I also have to say that the chanting in this song is one of my absolute favorite things. It gets stuck in my head all the time to an insane degree. All the combined features here made me feel like I wish I had a song like this earlier in my life. It’s so transportive!
‘DJANGO’:
This was the song I listened to at first that made me really feel like the album was going to blow me away. The small clip that we had of this was too addicting and the song was already getting stuck in my head before it even came out. The song criticizes society’s tendency to live for the future instead of living for the present. The song boasts that living for the present means that you make the life everyone else is attempting to predict. It’s a really good message and a reminder that I’m sure many of us need frequently. I also really like this song because Yunho growls and has this really low register bit that makes me want to pass out every time I hear it. This song completely lived up to all of the hype. It was also the one that most other people seemed to like the sound clip of the most, and the full version is even better.
‘Wake Up’:
One of the reasons why I like this song so much is the double meaning of it. The song lyrics follow the plot of a brainwashed society that’s having their emotions taken away from them. The song acts as the rebellion’s attempt to get through to the public by waking them up. But the song also can be read as ATEEZ themselves getting through to fans who are having difficult times. The lyrics instruct the listener to listen to their voice and to let them lead them out of whatever dark place that they are in. It also comforts the listener by saying that they’ll be with them even in the dark. It’s so clever that the song can be read both ways and it also is so heart warming. As someone who has used ATEEZ to help myself out of dark places, the lyrics of this song are so touching to me. Hongjoong’s fast rap in this song also makes one of the best pieces of it and Jongho’s soaring vocals on some of the most emotional lyrics feel perfect.
‘Outlaw’:
This song has the title of the entire album and like everything else, it packs a punch. The song is a little simpler lyrically in that it talks about being an outlaw and someone to be afraid of. It feels a little more like an anthem for HALATEEZ. Especially because it talks about having the nature of an outlaw rather than becoming it, which does fit HALATEEZ more than it fits the plot ATEEZ themselves have been going through. It’s another addicting song and just like the rest of the album, I’m very impressed with the line distribution here. This album is really great for line distribution and they completely answered our requests about Yeosang getting more since ‘HALAZIA’. This is a good song to highlight this in.
So, yes, if you were to ask me whether this album lives up to the hype I would answer very very positively! Not only does this album live up to the hype; but I would even say that it surpasses it! ATEEZ has once again come out with an album that I wish I had my entire life. And like their other albums, it’s an album that is meant to be blasted out of speakers. If I ever doubted; ATEEZ would slap me in the face with how much I can’t stray from my ults. If you haven’t yet, go stream this album and all of their performances of ‘BOUNCY’! This album is yet another immersive music experience and I will be listening to it for months and months on end. Ugh, it’s just so good!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 