ATEEZ and the “WAVE” Comeback
On June 10, 2019, ATEEZ released their third mini-album, TREASURE EP.3: One to All. Before the album release, ATEEZ had fans vote for which track would become the title track with the ATEEZ NEXT SONG Project, where ATINY got to choose between “WAVE” and “ILLUSION.” This would be the first time the boys did this, with their current comeback for ZERO : FEVER Part.1 being the second time they implemented the fan choice system. ATEEZ uploaded performance previews for “WAVE” and “ILLUSION” on May 27, 2019 and later revealed that both songs would be the promoted singles with “WAVE” as the lead single.
The Music Videos
The music videos for “WAVE” and “ILLUSION” both dropped the same day that TREASURE EP.3: One to All was released. The video for “WAVE” features the members in a tropical location with some truly aesthetically pleasing shots of them while also showing the boys dancing on the beach, goofing off in a convenience store, and riding skateboards (and a couch) at a skatepark. It’s a very lighthearted and fun music video, showing a more playful side to ATEEZ that their previous two releases didn’t show.
The music video for “ILLUSION” also shows the boys in a more lighthearted manner, but this time on a glorious CGI pirate ship flying through the clouds in Peter Pan fashion. After navigating their way in the sky, they eventually land and disembark on a fantastical island, dancing on a beach once again and walking through silk curtains. If you watch the video closely enough, you’ll notice multiple references to the TREASURE EP.2: Zero to One era. The music video ends with “Crescent” playing over clips of the boys seemingly asleep with Seonghwa opening his eyes at the very end.
Almost a month later, the music video for “AURORA” was released. Composed and produced by leader Hongjoong, the track was written on tour about the fans and how ATEEZ feel when they see ATINY. This music video shows a softer side to the boys, the members dancing in a forest and next to the sea, with the video ending with them dancing in the forest at night while an aurora shines in the sky, much like how ATINY are the light that shines in the darkness for ATEEZ.
The Comeback Performances
The day of the comeback, Mnet aired a two-hour comeback show called ATEEZ: TREASURE MAP. The first part of the show was called ATEEZ: LONG JOURNEY and featured clips from their first European tour. The second section featured a brief intro followed by the boys performing “Say My Name.” They then launched into performances for some of their new tracks, specifically “Dancing Like Butterfly Wings,” “AURORA,” “ILLUSION,” and finally “WAVE.” To watch a playlist of ATEEZ: TREASURE MAP, click here.
The actual comeback performances would air on M!COUNTDOWN on June 13, 2019 with ATEEZ performing “WAVE” and “ILLUSION.” The performance for “WAVE” features the members in various shades of red, the title of the track behind them in a wavy font with the stage decorated with metal wave-like structures that lit up in different colors. The “ILLUSION” performance had the boys dancing in front of a large screen that started out with a video of a tropical place. The screens then transitioned between that video and a video of water splashes throughout the performance.
Prior to the release of the “AURORA” music video, the boys would perform the track on M!COUNTDOWN on July 4, 2019. The softness and sincerity of the track was seen in the fashion of the boys, with half the members in see-through pale purple blouses over white button ups while the other half wore see-through deep purple blouses with petal designs over white button ups, all eight wearing black trousers.
The Legacy
TREASURE EP.3: One to All debuted at No. 2 on the Gaon Album Chart and peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard US World Albums Chart and No. 9 on the Billboard US Heatseakers Albums Chart.
This comeback gave ATEEZ their first two music show victories, with “WAVE” getting first place on M!COUNTDOWN on June 20, 2019 followed by a win on The Show on June 25, 2019. “AURORA” was also nominated but unfortunately didn’t get any music show wins. The pure shock and happiness on the members’ faces when they were announced the winners will always be remembered by ATINY, as Jongho and Yunho both cried. Members Wooyoung and Yeosang cried as well while San consoled them and Mingi jumped excitedly next to the trio. The group would not get another music show win until over a year later with their current comeback, with track “INCEPTION” currently at two victories.
At the time of writing, the three promoted tracks from TREASURE EP.3: One To All have a combined total of almost 57 millions views on the official KQ ENTERTAINMENT YouTube channel, with “WAVE” sitting at 35 million views, “ILLUSION” at 16 million views, and “AURORA” at 4.3 million views. All three of the promoted tracks also received relay dances on the M2 YouTube channel.