B-Sides: ATEEZ
Whenever ATEEZ releases new music, you’re guaranteed to find at least one more track to add to your list of favorites. It’s a well known fact to ATINY that no matter if it’s the title track or a B-side, ATEEZ knocks all of their songs out of the park. So this week, we’re looking back at some of the incredible B-sides ATEEZ have gifted us with from debut to their most recent comeback.
“Twilight”
Off their debut album TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero, “Twilight” is a beautiful track that starts off almost ballad-like with San singing, “This is how I feel about you, twilight, it’s like twilight yeah,” over a soft piano before Jongho sings, “Oh baby, I just wanna see that twilight. Wanna see that with you,” and the piano gets an upbeat, almost tropical overlay added to it. The track continues much like this, with the two instrumentals taking turns. The piano disappears during the verses but reappears during the raps and chorus, giving this track a fun quality to it and showcasing ATEEZ’s ability to balance different sounds in one song without it sounding awkward.
“Desire”
At first glance, especially with this song title, one might think this song is about desiring somebody. The lyrics almost seem to hint at that at first, but as the song progresses, it’s clear that ATEEZ are singing about chasing after the thing they desire most—their dreams. The members are so blinded by their dreams that they forget everything that happens along the way, just trying to reach their end goal. In leader Hongjoong’s final rap of the track, he reiterates just how badly he and the rest of the group crave these goals, saying, “If I dream a dream enough to see, if it becomes graspable enough to reach, the red light that lights in my heart grows, will bloom and explode. In my two eyes filled desire. In my heart filled desire. At the end of this thrill, no one could ever predict. I love my desire.”
“Dancing Like Butterfly Wings”
Whereas “Desire” was about ATEEZ chasing their dreams, TREASURE EP.3: ONE TO ALL’s “Dancing Like Butterfly Wings” is a song for ATINY, the boys telling their fans to go after their own dreams. Mingi’s opening rap is incredibly positive, telling fans that if they can feel their dreams that they should reach out for them, no matter how nervous they may be, because he’s nervous about his dreams too but still going for them. With a fun beat that’s impossible not to dance to, this track is just one of many reminders ATEEZ have given their fans that while we may be there for them, they are also there for us.
“MIST”
“MIST” is from ATEEZ’s first full length album TREASURE EP.FIN: All To Action and to many fans, this track sticks out for one big reason—Wooyoung’s voice. “MIST” showcases his beautifully soft voice in a big way as he sings in the chorus, “So please tell me it’s all right in this uneasy mist.” ATEEZ blends EDM elements with synthesizers to create an uplifting track about getting through any difficulties life may hand you. For anybody that suffers with anxiety or depression, this track is a sweet reminder that you don’t have to go through it alone as the boys ask ATINY to stay by their side to navigate through the hardships and obstacles together while on the path to their dreams.
“Precious”
Originally just an overture on TREASURE EP.FIN: All To Action, ATINY loved this song so much that Hongjoong turned it into a full-length track on TREASURE EPILOGUE: Action To Answer. One of the fun things about ATEEZ is how they will sometimes plant little easter eggs and call back to previous songs. In “Answer” there’s a call back to “Say My Name” with the fun “bulleo bulleo” while in “Precious” we get a soft, “Everyday, every night,” calling back to “Utopia.” And while many groups have experimented with EDM sounds in their songs or released EDM-based tracks, not many can do the genre justice quite like ATEEZ.
“TO THE BEAT”
As said above, not many groups can do EDM-based tracks justice quite like ATEEZ and “TO THE BEAT” is a prime example of that, complete with a drop at the very end of the track. A fun dance track, this song is all about how the group moves to their own beat instead of following a formula or any trends set by other groups. With Hongjoong and Mingi’s raps both talking about how original ATEEZ’s music is and the group all chanting to follow them, it makes you wonder what K-Pop would be like now if more groups continued to embrace different styles more regularly.