Review

SHINee ATMOS: In-Depth Album Review – Hours


1. Atmos // 2. Hours // 3. Possibility // 4. Anti Believer // 5. Still Raining // 6. Thousand Miles Away


HOURS

This mini album was billed as a showcase of SHINee’s signature charm, which is really a gift for fans. If an act has mastered a sound or genre, there’s no reason not to go back to that well. For Hours, the “well” in question is a sleek funk-pop approach. This song could have emerged from almost any SHINee album since their debut and that timelessness is a total strength.

Hours tempers its funk with moments of pullback after each chorus. As always, I think the producers could have picked more interesting percussion here than reheated trap beats, but these segments don’t last long and barely drag down the energy. I like the idea of a post-chorus breakdown and wonder what it could have sounded like with guitar (or any other instrumental touch, really).

When it comes to Hours, the chorus is its highlight. It’s snappy and exciting, powered by SHINee’s inimitable vocal blend. There’s a world where the production kept up more consistently with these melodies and we’d have another Married To The Music highlight, but as a b-side track this is decidedly above average and I suspect it’ll have a long shelf life.

 Hooks 9
 Production 8
 Longevity 9
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.5

Grade: B

3 thoughts on “SHINee ATMOS: In-Depth Album Review – Hours

  1. The chorus is fantastic and I suspect will keep me returning to this song a lot, and you can never go wrong with a funky beat with prominent guitar and bass. I think this is a much needed burst of joy in the album before the more serious tracks to follow.

    I agree that the post chorus production is a little bit underwhelming, and I think that was the production team experimenting with how they could make this song not just a straightforward funk track. However, the vocal harmonies during that part are so nice, it makes up for the loss of energy. Right now it’s an 8.75 (10, 8, 8, 9)

    Like

  2. Kinda late to the party, but I am very happy with this album. This album is really a gift and panacea to all OG kpop fans.

    The title track Atmos got all the best recipe of old kpop best formula from the vocals harmony, melodical verse, high chorus, and intense production. This is the song where you can appreciate and enjoy the group vocals for a long ride. The downside is new-gen fans might not like the song with no catchy hook or unique production (tiktok/short form gen)

    Hours is a funky dance song, but it did not rely on repeatable hook or talk-chanting like new gen kpop songs these days (thank God). The beat is accompanied by the best vocal and chorus packed into the song.

    Can’t wait for the rest of the album review.

    Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.