ATEEZ (에이티즈) - TREASURE EP.EPILOGUE: Action to Answer (4th Mini Album) [COMEBACK REVIEW]
By K-Pop Rambles - January 24, 2020
Me? Posting an album review while promotions are still going on and it's still relevant? Looks like 2020 may be a year of change, after all... 😂
I'm always nervous when a group I like comes to the end of a series or concept that I'm a fan of. It happened last year with Dreamcatcher, but they do seem to have thankfully stuck the landing thus far. Yet with ATEEZ, I didn't have as much of that fear as I normally do. Yes, this is the proper, final conclusion to their Treasure series they've been working on since debut, but I find myself less nervous about what's to come and more excited about where they could go next.
However, we do still have one last album to get through before any massive changes come our way, and without spoiling it, this one in particular is incredibly special. I actually wanted to wait until my pre-order copy of this album arrived in the post - which, yes! I pre-ordered an album for the first time ever! That's big for me - but it's clear that it won't be arriving as soon as I'd liked, so I figured I'd just go ahead and post this. (UPDATE 24/01/2020: PLOT TWIST! It arrived literally the day before I posted this review. I don't have a picture I can add here, but it's beautiful and I'm glad it arrived.)
Even though it may be a tad shorter than their releases thus far, I get the feeling that won't matter in the end. Let's take a look at TREASURE EP.EPILOGUE: Action to Answer!
1. ANSWER
I'm going to be frank and get straight to the point here: this is my new favourite title track of ATEEZ's.
I mean, how could it not be? My favourite b-side of theirs by far is "Promise", even if I think "Utopia" is their best b-side. And "Answer" is essentially what "Promise" would be like if it was made into a title track. The synths are huge and provide a large basis of the instrumental, the vocals are soaring, the church bells provide this sense of finality without seeming too sombre, the harmonies and group chanting provide a wonderful change of tone and sound... Everything here is fucking amazing. It's all so well thought-out and put together, and no part of the song feels out of place or lacking. This is ATEEZ at their most grandiose and cinematic, and I'm here for it.
That ending, too... Between the change in the vocal melody and the chanting becoming even more uprorarious, and Jongho showing off his falsetto like his life depends on it, it's the perfect way to end a series that has really changed the lives of all eight members. It feels like it matches the gravitas of the situation perfectly, and that's incredibly hard to pull off. And yet, it's ATEEZ. I think we all knew they were going to be able to!
So while I still adore "Pirate King" and "Wonderland", "Answer" just has that something special about it that absolutely blew me away - and it still continues to. I find myself being just as shocked and impressed with it on repeated listens, which is not something that happens often. As far as I'm concerned, ATEEZ is living up to every ounce of potential they have as a group. And when the music's this good, you know I'm not going to take that for granted. This is absolutely phenomenal.
2. HORIZON (지평선)
B-sides seem to be where ATEEZ really shine the most, so I went into the rest of this album with sky-high expectations and an open mind as to what they could do. They've been known to get experimental before with songs like "Desire" and "My Way", so who's to say they can't do it again? And yeah, I think it's safe to say they have! But while it may not match the sheer marvel that is "Desire" - let's be real, that song is a once in a lifetime thing, not very many songs are going to match up to that - "Horizon" leans right back into ATEEZ's experimental side, and it is so damn welcome.
Arguably the strangest part of "Horizon" is that vocal sample; it's not your normal chipmunk vocals or anything like that. It's straight-up yodeling, which is by no means something I've heard in K-Pop before. I have seen a few people say it's a common enough vocal sample, and it's been used in some other songs, but after listening to some examples, I'd have to argue ATEEZ make use of it especially well. The way it distorts around the deep, bouncy bass beats in the choruses is mesmerizing, and the members' vocal performances are a particular highlight here. ATEEZ have definitely been leading up to a more synth-led sound in their recent comebacks, and that's something I'm delighted to here! It's just as apparent here, too, with the bright, dazzling synths really complimenting that final chorus beautifully.
And yet, this song has such a sense of wanderlust and wonder to it that I didn't expect to find on this album. I'd expect that sort of vibe to be in the first albums in this series, but the last? That definitely took me by surprise. I think it's mainly because of the way the beat switches itself up constantly; it's going back and forth between double time and slower, trap-fuelled sections without being overbearing or confusing. That's hard as hell to do! So many songs these days feel disjointed due to having unnecessary breakdowns or instrumental changes, but every change on "Horizon" feels like it was meant to be there from the start.
I'll admit I found this a bit off-putting at first - largely because of the structure and the vocal sample - but over time, "Horizon" really does grow on you, and that final chorus never gets old. I've said before that it amazes me how ATEEZ's songs are all so incredibly well-developed, and "Horizon" sure as hell continues this trend. Check this out if you haven't heard it already!
3. STAR 1117
In the lead-up to this comeback, we actually got a special performance on music shows a week before the album dropped. I wasn't entirely sure what they were going to perform, but when I found out it was a ballad focused around the boys themselves, their fans and how far they've come, it made so much sense.
"Star 1117" has, of course, been teased in the past - because it's ATEEZ, and they never know how to stop teasing. 😂 Back when All to Action came out, the treasure card and film included in the albums had lyrics on it that nobody understood. But now that we've heard the song, we get to finally see what they were hinting at - and that just so happens to be a fairly standard ballad that's elevated by the performances of the members.
I mean, as someone who doesn't normally like ballads, I've been pleasantly surprised to see a lot of groups adapting 3/4 time for their slower songs; the other memorable example I can think of from last year is TWICE's "21:29". It's a lovely change of pace, for sure, and ATEEZ really do manage to pull it off. Anything other than a simple, boring piano ballad is better in my eyes!
And there's a hell of a lot more to this song than just the tempo, too - there are electric guitar touches that really add a bit of pizzazz, for lack of a better word. And, just as I mentioned, the members are the stars of the show here. In case you were wondering, yes, all eight of these guys can sing. Really damn well, might I add! And the best thing is, no member is left to the wayside here; everyone gets their time to shine and really show off their vocal abilities.
It really manages to change what would be a fairly normal slow song into something new and refreshing, and it just goes to show how ATEEZ can really make any song their own. "Star 1117" has been a surprising favourite of mine from this album, and when a ballad like this manages to impress me, that's how I know a group has insane talent and potential. But then again, it's ATEEZ - I think most of us knew that already. 😊
4. PRECIOUS
...when I say I'm shaking with excitement to write about this song, you have no freaking idea. Buckle up, 'cause this is probably going to be long and very emotionally charged. 😅
Remember in the All to Action review, when I said we'd come back to "Precious"? Oh, honey, I meant it. At first, I had no damn idea they were even taking that overture and making it into a full song. So, I went and listened to the overture, and then listened to the full song, not really knowing what to expect.
If you thought the overture was good... that was NOTHING. They took that overture, took the foundations of it and what it established, and managed to create one of my absolute favourite songs of theirs to date.
There's always one song on each ATEEZ album that just seems to leave me speechless - I thought we'd already had it on this album with "Answer", but NOOOOOOO. "Answer" had me freaking out, sure, but "Precious" had me fucking dying. To say I was speechless doesn't even begin to sum it up. "Precious" is up there with "Promise" and "Utopia" for me. I'm not entirely sure if it beats them yet, and I doubt it will, but GUYS. GUYS. THIS SONG. I CAN'T.
I always love hearing more exotic sounds in K-Pop. It's been a sound I fall head over heels for every time a group dabbles into it - Yezi's "Anck Su Namun" is a great example. So when "Precious" started up and those drum beats and distant, glimmering synths started popping up in the instrumental, my interest was piqued. Hell, it was piqued back in the overture, but they really develop it here. Not to mention that opening melody from "Treasure", which is a nice surprise and continuation of their sound! (Hey, there's even a reference to "Utopia" in here, too, which immediately makes this song god-tier. Sorry, I don't make the rules.)
Then the pre-choruses hit, and you start realizing that we're building up to something. And, of course, we already knew what the choruses would be - it's that light, airy flute that we heard in the overture. BUT THEY MADE IT EVEN BETTER. That drop on its own was already great, but they went and added Hongjoong rapping over it, as well as a grouped melody in the second half of the choruses and ohhhhhhhhhh my god I LOVE IT. It's fucking flawless. THIS is how you give a drop more substance without it becoming overwhelming.
Not to mention, the rest of the song is just as insane - we'd already heard Mingi's rapid-fire rap break, but it's even more impactful mixed in with the full song. And that final chorus leans more heavily into an EDM-inspired synth melody that really ends the song with a bang. I'll admit it's not as good as something like "Win", but dammit, it does exactly what it needs to and ends the song beautifully. The callback to "Treasure" is just the cherry on top.
I said I'd talk about lyrics or choreography where it really impressed me for my reviews from now on, and I cannot talk about "Precious" without looking at those lyrics. They absolutely have a darker, more mature edge to them, and if you know me, you know that shit's my bread and butter. And yeah, ATEEZ nail it as usual! There's something so... treacherous yet wistful about these lyrics, like you're somewhere you know you shouldn't be, or doing something you know you really shouldn't be doing. It's hard to put into words, but holy shit, do they work. They elevate what's already a great song to become an amazing one.
My soul, blinded by the thirst of sin, is craving for it
You keep whispering, that low voice is keeping me from falling asleep
I want more, I’m craving for it, a place no-one has found yet
Mark my words: you WILL see this on my b-sides list at the end of the year. This is just... so good. SO fucking good, and I simply cannot get over how these boys kEEP DOING THIS. HOW.
5. OUTRO: LONG JOURNEY
And now, we end this series exactly how it began - with an instrumental narrated by Maddox. If that's not satisfying in the most cinematic way, I don't know what is.
...BUT THEY'RE TEASING. AGAIN. That ending, mixed with the darker, more twisted end to that narration... Are we looking at a potentially darker concept for ATEEZ? Bro, if they take the lyrical concept of "Precious" and turn it into a full-on title track... I may just explode. Someone help. Please.
In the end, this is by far my favourite ATEEZ album to date. They just seem to keep improving and improving, and it's honestly starting to bewilder me. I'm really starting to think they're the Red Velvet of boy groups, up there with the likes of DAY6; they genuinely have not released a bad song. And yet, I'm more ready than I've ever been to see where they go next. With the hints we've gotten, their future is looking particularly bright, and holy shit I am SO excited to see it unfold.
Diving into the deep end with ATEEZ is a decision I don't regret one bit; I haven't loved a boy group like this in literal years, and when they're as talented as these guys are, I feel like that's incredibly warranted. Whatever they may do in the future, I know for a fact they'll end up blowing me away. And I'm ready for it.
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