I know that most (all?) fans would likely disagree with me, but my most enduring ATEEZ song remains 2019’s Wave. That track is not at all indicative of their overall sound — especially post-2020 — but has such a great build and glide that targets all my pop music pleasure centers. Because of this, a new summer-themed ATEEZ comeback is an exciting prospect. It would be unfair to expect Lemon Drop to deliver the exact thrill of its predecessor, but the song’s slow burn sound has its own charm.
Right from the start, Lemon Drop‘s synth-heavy beat deposits us back in the mid-2010’s when this style of club-ready hip-hop enjoyed a real moment in the spotlight. It’s a refreshing sound, but what really matters is the song built on top of it. Rather than hit listeners over the head, Lemon Drop plays things pretty flat. Its chorus is quite reserved and not particularly catchy, relying on its evocative beat to do most of the heavy lifting. And unlike Wave, it doesn’t even try to build toward some euphoric crescendo. It’s more of a loose vibe, tracing the edges of the rhythm without ever going for the jugular. This approach may play well in the long run, but feels a bit disappointing on initial listens.
However, I currently have a huge craving for anything remotely summer-coded and I’m happy to hear ATEEZ have a bit of fun after a few more serious concepts. While Lemon Drop feels far from a discography highlight, its groove is addictive enough to provide a nice soundtrack for the season. And pleasantly, the song grows stronger as it goes. Layered vocal melody joins the mix, making for an effective — if subtle — finale. Sometimes delayed gratification works wonders and it’s caused me to kick up my grade a notch in anticipation of this reserved approach playing well over the next few months.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s a chill, vibey, although a little generic tropical summer song. I LOVE the verses, the melodies are pretty good here, though I wish the chorus had more bite to it and we got an extended, stronger outro (I was so happy seeing the 3:43 length of the MV, damn you KQ and Eden!). But overall, it’s a stronger effort than their last two singles and I see this age well for me.
8 (8, 8, 8, 8) for me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was surprised because I ended up liking it lol. maybe not enough for repeated listens, but I didn’t end up turning it off halfway like their post-Answer singles.
LikeLiked by 5 people
I expect to hear “WE THE BEST MUSIC!” pop out somewhere in the song
LikeLiked by 3 people
It’s a lot better than their recent stuff, the hip hop of the last 3 or 4 comebacks wasn’t for me at all and all sounded exactly the same, so this change is welcome but it’s hardly exciting either……..and I know this is blog is about the music but that MV was WELL beneath them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also I don’t know if anyone clocked the bit at the end of the MV which is usually a spoiler for the next comeback….cus that DID sound like it would be right up my street…..
LikeLiked by 3 people
The teaser at the end sounds a bit like Sexy Back as remixed for Billie Eilish. We will hear soon enough how the full song sounds.
LikeLike
This is one of the songs that I don’t mind listening to, but I feel like I could hear better examples of what Ateez are going for if I looked around.
LikeLiked by 4 people
If one comes to mind, will you share it? Not a critical question, I just really like the vibe of this song and would love to listen to songs that do this but even better. It’s getting hotter and I need some music to match the vibe!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Not the person you asked, but pretty much any song that DJ Mustard produced in the mid-2010s would work
Ty Dolla $ign – Paranoid
Omarion – Post To Be
Kid Ink – Show Me
Jeremih – Don’t Tell ‘Em
TeeFlii – 24 Hours
LikeLiked by 5 people
Good examples. All better than Lemon Drop lol
LikeLike
Agreed with the comment above, and I’d also want to add on:
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lmao I haven’t looked around yet, but if I think of one I’ll get back to you
LikeLike
Oh some other people have answered lol, I’ll see if I can still find smth
LikeLike
I got AMAZING recommendations for some early / mid 2010s tracks with DJ Mustard production. If you’re looking for a more poppy or R&B vibe, I got these ones for anyone who’s down to check them out:
Tinashe ft SchoolBoy Q – 2 On
Natalie LaRose ft Jeremih – Somebody
will.i.am feat Miley Cyrus, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana – Feeling Myself
LikeLike
bro cooked with these ones
LikeLike
Life is really doing it’s best to force character development from me at the moment, and anticipating this song has been one of the very few things left keeping me sane.
The beat and sample could have been used in a pretty generic way, but I’m glad that the full song has some depth and variety to it!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh no! Character Building Experience, oh my!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This song definitely reminds me of songs produced by Mustard.
LikeLiked by 4 people
My thoughts exactly 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
This song has the best elements of ATEEZ’ music. It made me realize how much they have grown since debut, and I actually find myself a little emotional, because there was a time where I kind of gave up on them.
I cannot think of another group of their generation or even before them (except maybe BTS and Monsta X), that has done what these 8 guys have done in such a cohesive way. They are a perfect example of how talent, hard work, and a vision go a long way.
I have no idea what prompted all these thoughts and I know it’s probably not that deep but this is what came to my mind after a few listens…
We’ve come a long way from the energetic/innocent/free spirited ATEEZ youth/elementary school days when they played Pirates with songs like Pirate King, Fireworks, Say My Name, Wave, Eternal Sunshine, etc…
to their idealist/rebellious/tumultuous adolescent/high schoolphase with songs like Answer, Wonderland, Guerrilla, Cyberpunk, New World, etc…
to their irreverent young adult/college stage of shaping their identity, letting go of all the anger and find their place in the world with songs like Crazy Form, Bouncy, Work, Ice on My Teeth, etc…
and now, with Lemon Drop, it seems like they have reached adulthood where they finally have a better understanding of who they are, how far they have come and hopefully, a better idea of where and how they want to move forward.
I loved the song, love the way they are presenting it, and I really hope they keep maturing their sound. 9/10
LikeLike
Personally I was hoping for another Eternal Sunshine. This song strikes me as neither good nor bad, but it doesn’t sound like Ateez to me (also neither a good nor bad thing).
LikeLike
I literally feel the exact same about this song I’m honestly tired of the chill beat they’ve been going for the last few combats and am in real need of an upbeat summer anthem
LikeLike
Personally I was hoping for another Eternal Sunshine. This song strikes me as neither good nor bad, but it doesn’t sound like Ateez to me (also neither a good nor bad thing).
LikeLike
Is this even a song?
LikeLike
song
/sɒŋ/
noun
I guess so!
LikeLike
are you lost?
LikeLike
It’s a joke, relax.
LikeLike
The instrumental is more or less identical to “Fam” by Stray Kids. I guess they used the same sample.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They already used that sample in Light, a song from their debut album back then im 2018
LikeLike
sorry, in Stay* ☠️
LikeLike
I guess I hear it a little bit but that song really doesn’t sound anything like these 2, which are more or less identical to each other
LikeLike
I thought it sounded similar! So that’s what it was.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is it not the same as Poison by Got7?? I can’t find anything mentioning it but they have the same beat
LikeLike
WOW. I actually thought i was playing lemon drop when i clicked to play fam lmao
LikeLiked by 1 person
From the highlight medley, I wasn’t so impressed, but it turned out really well! I usually prefer ATEEZ’s more aggressive songs, but this song is such a nice listen!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure the video producers understood the assignment on this one… but the song is outstanding! 9 for me easy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny enough, I think I ignored / disliked much of ATEEZ output prior to Work. Since that song, I’ve been picking up my interest in them, checking out their mini-albums and enjoying their singles. This one would be no exception, I love the 2010s DJ Mustard-inspired production, the chorus is super catchy and the “suuuuun” adlib is living rent free in my head.
On a side note, I think IZNA’s debut track could’ve been much better with a chorus like Lemon Drop’s. Literally, we just needed their producers to put on a little more work on the melody.
Anyway, I think I got my K-pop summer song?
LikeLike
it’s actually quite nice…..but I HATE that they’re rhyming closer with closer and sunrise with sunrise….
that bit irks me, because otherwise this is super groovy and a very new sound for them that suits them well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sounds like a solid album track when you are cycling the album around and around. As a stand alone, no so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s fine. I wasn’t really missing this sound, but I like getting something different. I can see it growing, but I don’t know if I feel inclined enough to replay it and see if that’s the case. They really went full thirst trap with this video
LikeLike