Review: Ateez – "Golden Hour, Part.1"

As artists grow in popularity it's normal for them to become less experimental in their output as they look to appease a growing fan base. However, despite the rise in sales of tickets, albums, and merchandise, the K-pop pirates Ateez buck the trend and take the listener on a voyage of their most musically interesting album yet with Golden Hour, Part.1.

After opening with the theme-setting title track "Golden Hour," Ateez roles into "Blind," a Latin-inspired song that can only criticized by saying that I wanted more of it. While the song initially strikes interest by featuring a track sample similar to Seventeen's 2023 smash "Sonogong," its Latin beats soon take the soul and heart of the listener to the dancefloor for a feel-good time. People of legal age might consider enjoying with some alcohol for maximum effect.

The retro-futuristic single "Work" comes next and assures the listener that Ateez did not take us to that dancefloor by accident. For a song valorizing the notion of the work, the track spends most of its time enticing the listener and guiding them down a path of ass-shaking recreation. (That might be the point.)

The next song, "Empty Box," takes a slow-dance detour from the Latin beats that have characterized the album to this point. A beguiling mix of drum synths and acoustic guitar swirls through the verses to an understated chorus that becomes the best K-pop chorus in the best song I’ve heard all year. The more I listened to the song, the more I welcomed its return. I just wanted to sit in. I only wish it had closed the album instead of being placed between two songs that don't allow you to so easily slip in and out of it.

Song five, "Shaboom," is a return to the Latin groove that initially sounds like standard album filler with a forgettable track and lyrics referring to “party next door” and wanting to “make it louder.” But as you move past the awkward tone switch and standard lyrics, the song unfolds and starts going on musical excursions – traveling to the Caribbean in the second verse before becoming a full-blown UK garage by its end. Oh, and its chorus chant of "Sha-boom..." is also the most satisfying sing-song segment I've heard all year.

The closer, "Siren," is the most (and I mean this in purely relative terms) generic song on the album. Considering the songs that proceed it, it cannot help but feel inferior after such experimentation. I can't help but feel it would have been better placed as the opener since its inclusion feels slightly tacked on to make up the numbers. This is however a minor criticism of an album whose greatness stuck with me in the days and days after listening.

Golden Hour is like taking a disorienting trip to a foreign land, where you have to adjust to its customs before you can fully indulge in wonders. The pleasure of this album will leave you planning your return trip as soon as you leave. Golden Hour, Pt.2 here we come.

Rating: 4.5/5