A couple of weeks ago, ATEEZ pre-released the first taste of their new album with Drip. Its relatively flat, repetitive approach seemed to build off the assumed recipe for Bad‘s overwhelming success. However, teasers for the album’s title track Up promised a return to the bombastic sound the group first developed with their debut-era Treasure series. Many fans (including this blog) have called for a return to this sound, though I’m more interested in ATEEZ recapturing that spirit and scope than simply repeating past glories.
Up is a step back in the right direction, especially compared to the material they’ve released so far this year, but by recalling bigger and better songs it suffers from comparison. The chorus is very Treasure-coded, stomping militantly with a commanding presence. It’s not nearly as catchy or overwhelming as their best work, but it gets by on nostalgia. What really thrilled me about those old songs was the same element that always thrills me in anthemic bangers: a narrative sense of scale that builds toward some overwhelming feeling of release. This can be accomplished within many genres and structures and ATEEZ were the master of both pre-choruses and grand finales built to knock your socks off.
In contrast, Up spins its wheels, starting big and puffing air in and out as the song develops. It charts a zigzag line rather than a narrative arc. Its strongest moments are still effective and the producers attempt to conjure payoff with an extended instrumental and double-time outro, but the arrangement just never quite gets there. It’s missing that one huge blowout moment and the infrastructure to make that moment count. Still, I’d rather hear ATEEZ operate in their bag like this instead of desparately chasing another viral TikTok hit.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the KPOP 2026 World Series! We have a stellar game tonight as we are in the final inning of the last game that will decide who will be champions. First, we have ATEEZ! They have tried year after year to get here but could never make this far. Now they are here and holding on tight. Do they have what it takes? Their opponent is none other than KPOP fans!?!? They may not look like they can do much, but they made it past many opponents, even though sometimes they dont see eye to eye. They have been giving ATEEZ a run for their money and won’t back down without a fight.
Okay, guys. Here it goes! We have San batting and none other than Sai, ready to pitch. It’s funny to think about because Sai was a huge Atiny himself until ATEEZ started to change for better or worse. Maybe it was because of the fame or “need to survive” in the game of life. Anyway, Sai has the fire in his eyes and won’t let ATEEZ get that trophy easily.
Okay, Sai throws a fast one, and San stares at the ball, pumped with Adrenaline! He goes for it and misses! Ah, well, he still has 2 more swings to go. Next, Sai is quick to pitch it again, and San tries his best to hit it, but this time, he misses the ball completely. Woah, this is just really bad, man!
Now, San has 2 strikes, and the bases are loaded to the brim. His members are dying to make their way home. Okay, Sai gets ready to throw another fast one but then throws it slowly?!!? Well, this plan must’ve worked, but it threw San off guard, and he spins around like a top, landing on the floor. By now, he probably wants to throw UP!
And just like that, the KPOP fans win again. ATEEZ goes home empty-handed. No fireworks, no applause. Just utter defeat. I guess the answer they wanted isn’t what they got this year. Maybe next time, but as time moves on, it will be much harder for them to get here again. What will it take for them to win over kpop fans again, including dear ol’ Sai?
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sanhei choitani he isnt
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This is hilarious because why do people act like Shohei is the only baseball player in the world? It’s like if people just started saying Lebron was the best basketball player in the world and everyone else is trash, when we know very well that ain’t true in the slightest.
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This is decent. A decent throwback to their Treasure or even The World era songs. A little kick in the butt could do wonders but it’s still great.
Rating’s the same
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I think I prefer Drip over this tbh. This feels incomplete, like somewhere halfway to recapturing the old ATEEZ sound but not quite reaching the peak of the old ATEEZ sound, so it is just disappointing and deflating to listen to as a result.
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Definitely my favorite song from the Golden Hour series, but I think something is missing…
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is this real?! Cinematic ateez is back?! Oh my goodness this is amazing
8.5/10
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Something is totally missing,but at least this is a step in their right direction!
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Reminds me that I never really got on with Ateez’s debut stuff and only got on the train around 2021/probably 2022. It suffered from the late 2010s kpop problem of trying to sound bombast while having empty production and no hooks to speak of. This is the emptiest of them all though.
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As someone that became a fan of Ateez during Lemon Drop and IYF, I don’t have the same nostalgia that fans have on past eras to cloud future ones.
But even I who listened to the Treasure series yesterday would take Up and GH:6 anyday over whatever Bad and GH:5.
Hell I’ll even tale Drip which I gave the same rating as this site’s review once heard in cohesion with the rest of the album is miles better than Mamacita and the rest of those track from the last album
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Album 1st impression: I’m not sure San tiddies could save the album again this time.
Hidden Gems: Anemia
The track had anthemic vibe all over which is definitely a good thing, however the verses were so chopped that it decreased its charm the more you listened. The rap parts in the middle was too long and did not quite matched the song pace which made the song lose its appeal for replay. The hook was okay but I wish it had less shouting and more engaging. The song structure had a theatrical flair build for live concert, but unsuitable.for streaming. The outro was supposed to be cathartic, but I already lose my appetite for the song near the end.
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It has all the right elements, the vocal whoa whoa in the background pairing with a return of the low farty bass, the chorus as an anthemic chorus, etc. It doesn’t quite gel because it uses all those usual tropes and nothing new or surprising (eg the elephant trumpet or the depth pinging in Wonderland), but it is a step back to something better. So on balance, good.
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Welcome back ATEEZ we missed ya
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the entire song was good but i prefer drip over up anyday. It is good but still something is missing, but i loved that”ash-covered bulletproof my skin” part, its addicting
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