It's hard to write about anything else when everything is all about Will.
ATEEZ's music is actually an enigma to me. I don't understand how each of the eras feels so very defined and cohesive to themselves while at the same time still being fully able to vibe with each other. This has been on my mind quite a bit since Ep.Fin came out. I think it's because the album feels so nostalgic at the same time that it definitely has a very fresh sound.
It's the end of the semester for me, and all the children are just now starting to freak out about their grades and upcoming exams. My brain is entirely broken. As a means of giving myself a pleasant mental vacation during the day, I've been playing a little pairing game with ATEEZ music. Specifically, I've been finding one Treasure and one Fever song to pair with each song from Will based on sound, themes, or vibes. My original thought was to do this with the entire World series (the only one that matters, imo), but then I thought maybe let's keep it simple and continue to welcome our newest baby album into the family.
WIN 🫱🏻🫲🏼 ROCKY 🫱🏻🫲🏼 WE KNOW
I think We Know was the hardest song to pair up satisfactorily. It sounds very The World-ly. So, I decided to go with themes. We Know is very triumphant, but in a slightly sinister way. I have paired it with Win and Rocky which both have themes of overcoming obstacles and beating the odds through hard work and determination. I also enjoy that there's a sort of progression. Win is the first step, the spark of determination that sets them on the journey. Rocky is the training montage, putting their determination into action. And We Know is ATEEZ emerging on the other side of the long and rigorous training, ready to hunt down their enemies and destroy them.
Horizon 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Fireworks 🫱🏻🫲🏼Emergency
Emergency needed friends with high energy and dark undertones. So I chose two tracks that are big and bold but that are just ever-so-slightly sinister or unsettling. To me, Horizon feels very other-worldly (fitting) while Fireworks literally transports us to that other world for the first time.
Wonderland 🫱🏻🫲🏼 The Real 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Crazy Form
Crazy Form is the perfect combination of Wonderland's martial vibes and The Real's chaos. Wonderland shows us an ATEEZ that is determined and focused while in The Real--honestly, they're just Doing Stuff and Being Extra. And I think when you take that unhinged energy and combine it with a greater purpose, you get the super effective band of lovable misfits that wreck everybody's shit in Crazy Form.
Say My Name 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Thanxx 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Arriba
For this grouping, I went for the obvious "Latin influence." Clearly we begin with Say My Name, specifically the Flavor of Latin mix with Juwon Park. Then we pick up the tempo with Thanxx, which I'm not certain has any sonic Latin vibes but they do say "gracias," so it counts. And finally we let fully loose with Arriba and the people who don't like the "skrrr skrrr skrrr"s are wrong.
Answer 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Take Me Home 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Silver Light
Okay now this one was a struggle. But then again, it wasn't really--not when I was honest with myself. I think the obvious theme here is "ATEEZ Songs That Have Spoken to Me on Every Possible Level Because They Were Made for Me." But I think there's also a narrative here, a simple story that also resonates with me. Answer is all about setting off on a journey having no idea where it may lead you. In Take Me Home, the journey is bad. The journey has taken us to a bad place. But then in Silver Light, we get past all the bad stuff and rise above, flying free.
Dancing Like Butterfly Wings 🫱🏻🫲🏼 All About You 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Dreamy Day
I'm not sure I can explain this one, except to say that I know I am correct. Just listen to these in order and you will see that it is Right and Good.
Precious 🫱🏻🫲🏼 The Leaders 🫱🏻🫲🏼 MATZ
We're just doing straight hip hop vibes for this one. I did consider subbing out The Leaders with To The Beat. I am, in fact, still considering it. If KQ would give us the Fever Medley on streaming like I've asked them to, I'd go with that.
Desire 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Deja Vu 🫱🏻🫲🏼 IT’s You
Another obvious one, no? I actually was struggling a bit with the Fever song because I temporarily forgot Deja Vu existed like the fakest Atiny you've ever seen. While our obvious theme here is desire or lust, I appreciate that the lyrics do leave some wiggle room for interpretation. Songs with layers are just so much more interesting than those where the meaning sits right on the surface.
Mist 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Not Too Late 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Youth
I did wonder if perhaps Turbulence should be here instead of Not Too Late, but I felt in the end that I needed a quieter kind of desperation that we see in Mist and Not Too Late.
Youth is the only song on the album not produced by Eden-ary (and some twittertinys seem hell-bent on reading that as "Mingi hates Eden" which is a stretch if I've ever heard one but okay), and I've been thinking a lot about how the song really differs from ATEEZ's usual sound. Where I've landed is that Eden songs, and by extension Hongjoong songs, are a journey. They have a destination in mind, and they are determined to take you there. It is, I think, one of my favorite things about ATEEZ's music. Youth, however, does not have a place it is trying to take us. It maintains a level of tension throughout and ends like it begins. It's possible you might read this as criticism, but it's really not. Because I think that makes sense with the message of the song. The uncertainties of youth don't disappear. There is no beginning, middle, and end for doubting yourself or falling into depression. The song isn't a cure; it's a companion. And I think that's lovely.
With You 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Be With You 🫱🏻🫲🏼 Everything
Jongho, Jongho, Jongho. All this man does is whatever he wants and just raises all the standards as he goes. How can anything really compare to Everything? I've really been back and forth with this one. I had a narrative in mind at first, but then switched to soft and sad vibes. Because maybe that's where I am today and after I finish this I'm going to go watch Jongho's Wildflower cover because it's been a while.
As much as I love the excitement of a comeback and new music, I actually love the season post streaming and charting and voting when I can just sit with the music and let the recency bias wear off and see where the songs fall within ATEEZ's existing catalog. Will Silver Light challenge Answer for the throne? Will Dreamy Day become my new comfort song? Only time will tell.
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