ATEEZ are out with their second full-length Japanese album today, compiling earlier J-pop singles alongside new material. After several years struggling to connect with their new material, the group’s two summer singles subverted expectations and caught my ear. New track Ash does the same, opting for a sleek dance sound I don’t always associate with ATEEZ.
Though ATEEZ debuted with a signature sound, their early work also bore a sonic diversity that felt adventurous. On its own, Ash isn’t a particularly adventurous exploration of genre, but it sticks out within their discography and that alone is praiseworthy. Apart from powerhouse vocalist Jongho, ATEEZ don’t always receive much attention for their singing. It’s nice to hear their voices spotlighted in an arrangement that gives them plenty of space to shine.
Ash opens with a mysterious mood, slowly building steam throughout its first verse. The minimalism here works because you know the song is growing toward something bigger. The tease continues for over a minute before Ash bursts into its full percussive thrust. While the beat could hit harder here, I like how it continues to spread throughout the track. A second verse switch-up provides a brief snag and Ash could do with an explosive finale that brings everything together in a knockout way, but on the whole this is a satisfying soundscape for a group who are clearly ready to try new things.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I knew you’d like this one, Nick. I also wish the chorus had hit harder. But it’s so nice this year to see them stop chasing that shouty Big Three sound and go back to doing their own thing. It’s a much better thing.
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I knew you’d like this one, Nick. I also wish the chorus had hit harder. But it’s so nice this year to see them stop chasing that shouty Big Three sound and go back to doing their own thing. It’s a much better thing.
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they need to make several more of these, period
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I actually got chills down my arms.. Wow that beat is thrilling. Ateez has been winning back my heart with every release since Lemon Drop…
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Darling daughter and I commute to school and work at 0 dark 30 every morning. We grade the sunrise at a particular turn overlooking a farm, cows, corn, barn. Very scenic. We also track the seasons by how high or low the sun is in the sky as we drive around that bend.
The better sunrises are the right mix of clouds and sun. Too many clouds and there isn’t enough light. No or few clouds and it is a blinding ball of orange. Also mood, does the sunrise have a mood.
For a sunrise rating, I would say this song today is also an 8.5. Atmosphere. A good mix of clouds and sun, perhaps a bit chunky, and a good lavender and pink colors missing the orange and yellow. The color lasts long enough however it doesn’t evolve into other moods.
(To be a ten, there is a fuller rainbow of colors across delicately fanned clouds, and the color lasts and evolves for a long while up to and perhaps beyond the highway exit. The cows are decoratively arranged on the hill. Mist in the low areas. Bonus points if there is a bright spot burst in the clouds like Jesus is descending, or a murmuration of birds.)
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what am i reading
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A thoughtful long-form analogy how this song can sound like a sunrise.
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I tend to wake up before sunrise and know exactly what you mean. I really like your analogy, thanks for sharing it.
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Let auntie cook, neph
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Adding: I asked darling daughter what she thought if this were a sunrise and she said “Yes, dramatic clouds, bland color”.
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this has been a really good year for ateez releases, probably one of their best years in a while tbh
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Someone that’s a certified Ateez fan needs to explain if the group has changed producers or something because the quality gap between 2025 and the past couple years is immense. They are back on their thing!
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Yep, they’ve had a lot of turnover in producers in the last several years. I think Nick has talked about this, but Buddy and Leez’s departures from Edenary came with a noticeable downturn in quality, where they just started rushing out tracks and mimicking the style of NCT and other Big Three groups. This year, it looks like they finally realized that the core team (EDEN, Maddox, Oliv, Pepperoni, Ollounder, plus Hongjoong and Mingi) can’t do all the writing that’s required for ATEEZ and Xikers, so they’re starting to contract with consultants (Balm, Blssd, Karlsson, etc.) to ease the load and inject some fresh energy. They’re also leaning more heavily on Hongjoong and Mingi as they mature as writers.
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I just looked, and according to the song credits on Deezer, LEEZ was involved in composition for Ash! No clue whether he’s back in Edenary or working for them on a contractual basis.
The full credits read: “WRITER: gratia – Hongjoong Kim – Mingi Song / COMPOSER: Maddox – DWAYNE – Oliv – LEEZ – Peperoni – EDEN – Door”.
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Though Ateez isn’t something I normally listen to, this is a standout for me, and for me the general mood and ambience is actually enough to make it fully satisfying. Almost. It would indeed have been good with a stronger finale.
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I’ve enjoyed Ateez in all their iterations – from Pirate King to Guerilla to Ice on My Teeth to In Your Fantasy. I have no nostalgia for their earlier sound, magnificent as it was. So far I love the way they jump from genre to genre. That said, I’ve never connected very well with the Japanese releases, but Ash is moody and haunting and makes me feel a little uneasy.
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I will say in terms of vibe like melancholic dance this song gives me the same vibe not that it sounds like Bronsky Beat Smalltown boy. Cause is a haunting dance song but connects with a bit of sadness and is such a confort feeling somehow. Cause people always like music that is happy when they dance but sometimes u need those songs that makes u wanna get in your feelings dancing and this is perfect.
To me music has to make me feel things to make our life better in different moments and I think even tho is not inventing the wheel or anything is so well made, the voices express the feelings and are gorgeous and the haunting dance mood feels all so natural. I just think they are amazing delivering emotions, remind me of Vixx sometimes, they were really great with emotional singing, Ateez nail with that. They have a very strong team and can pretty much do all I am glad they are not always doing the same and having a chance to explore more. I wanna see more heavy vocal songs from them cause honestly in a sea of breathy thin voices they have a group full of strong voices, is a need to explore that more.
The b sides are awesome too, Tip Toe is also haunting and beautiful is such a different song, Crescent is very ballad rock and Face is totally anime opening u could find in DAN DAN DAN, JJK or other great shonens.
Very curious about their next comeback, we never know what to expect with them.
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