Move over WINNER, ATEEZ is coming for the title of Kings of the Summer Bops. ATEEZ dropped their third EP Treasure Ep 03: One to All on June 10. Of the six songs on the EP, two were named title tracks. To build hype for the album, ATEEZ released various social media posts and even a video encouraging fans to vote for either “WAVE” or “ILLUSION.”

“WAVE”

“WAVE” has a very interesting Latin pop feel. The inclusion of the Spanish guitar and the marimba adds to the overall flavor. The light introduction of the piano adds an interesting touch. At first, the song sounds like a summer campfire song, but once the chorus begins with the staggeringly light drop, the Spanish sounds are more prominent. The chorus features the very easy to remember line, “Hakuna Matata Ya,” making it easy for anyone to sing along. Overall, this song brings the idea of the height of summer when enjoying time with your friends under the bright sun.

The Music Video

The majority of this music video is set at the beach; the colors are all bright and scream summer. Various other scenes are at a skatepark and a grocery store. The imagery tells a story of summer fun. It wants the viewer to feel the energy and excitement. The choreography is shown with all the members on a gorgeous beach scene and is supplemented by the inclusion of eye-catching drone shots. The members are dressed in loose, relaxed clothing for this concept, with member Mingi drawing the viewer’s eye in his blue tye dye sweater with an extremely deep V. My one criticism about this video is the shakiness of the camera in some scenes; while this may be intentional to add to the relaxed feel of the video, it can draw away from an all over well put together video.

“ILLUSION”

If “WAVE” represented the height of summer feelings, “Illusion” channels the FOMO feelings that come at the end (or the beginning) of summer. The song is more of what a summer drop is expected to sound like. Hongjoong and Mingi provide the build-up of the songs pre-chorus into the chorus of the song. This is the part of the song that draws the most attention to due to the choppiness of the beat during the drop. “ILLUSION” pairs the electric keyboard with digital percussion and sound effects to create the ultimate daydream vibe.

The Music Video

A green screen and a pirate ship make up the majority of the sets seen in this music video. Unlike “WAVE,” “ILLUSION” is telling the story of their search for treasure. Several scenes include the members pouring over books and massive chalk maps on blackboards. The music video is full of purple and pink hues. The overall aesthetic of the video adds to the idea of the illusion or dream of searching for treasure. The dance breaks take place on the main deck of the pirate ship. The costumes are more laid back in this video, except for the massive red coat on Hongjoong that immediately draws the viewer’s eyes to him.

After listening to both tracks it was so hard to choose a team. Something to bring to the forefront about both of these videos is that they are continuing on the trend of releasing English subtitles on day one, which allows for more people to interact with the songs more deeply from day one.

Both of these songs would make a great start to your summer 2019 playlist! Check out the music videos for “WAVE” and “ILLUSION” below!