For the first years of their career, Ateez charged forward with little chance for reflection or rest. They didn’t have much of a choice. At their debut in November 2018, the eight-member boy group from an unknown company were sometimes shuffled off music shows after half a song.
Their initial concepts— first pirates, then a versatile take on dystopian aesthetics—matched the frantic, door-busting energy of their ascent. In their MVs, they fought authoritarian governments, shadow selves, and the status quo. In real life, they powered their way past industry barriers and into the limelight.
As their star has risen, Ateez have moved away from the dystopian concept. That’s smart. Nothing good should last forever, or it risks souring. However, the group and their production team, led by Eden, have struggled to find their next niche. That struggle has played out in their newest Golden Hour EP series. Title tracks like “Work” and “Ice on My Teeth” are undeniably fun, but lack the emotional and conceptual punch of previous releases. Ateez have never been more successful, both commercially and in terms of performance ability and recognition, but their artistic future is unclear. Within In Your Fantasy, a repackage of mini album Golden Hour Pt. 3 that includes an all-new title track and solos from each member, Ateez explore a couple possible avenues, resulting in a compelling but rocky journey.
If In Your Fantasy has a common denominator, it is, frankly, horniness. In the often aggressively PG-13 K-pop sphere, there are some lyrics and vibes here that are pearl-clutch worthy. Sure, “she screamin’ out my name/I got the girls feeling holy” could technically be referring to fangirling in a public venue, but paired with the pulsing beat of Hongjoong’s solo “NO1,” it feels safe to say these are not public venue activities (hopefully!) being referenced.
Often, mature themes in K-pop raise questions of appropriateness, but with Ateez firmly grown, that’s not a concern here. Given K-pop’s infamously unhinged attitudes towards dating and romance, there’s even a hint of Ateez’s signature anti-establishment energy in their willingness to act like the adults they are.
Even within just a handful of songs, Ateez find multiple ways to evoke the sultry. On one side of the spectrum are many of the tracks originally from Golden Hour Pt. 3, particularly title track “Lemon Drop” and B-side “Masterpiece.” These songs are horny, but also unexpectedly sweet, endearingly clumsy, and aggressively monogamous:
I don’t care about flexin’, you alone are luxury
I sing a song to your beauty
All I want is you, babe, I’m a mess without you
Let’s lock it in babe, just the two of us forever
There’s a good boyfriend energy to both tracks that contrasts with their grinding beats, and in the case of “Lemon Drop,” a very sexy, summery MV. In these songs, Ateez are equal parts sugar and spice.
On the flip side, Ateez transform into downright devious Casanovas in several In Your Fantasy-exclusive tracks, first and foremost title track “In Your Fantasy” itself. Musically, “In Your Fantasy” is a catchy, nostalgic triumph, channeling 90s boy band energy into pure pop gold. It’s also a remarkably successful English-only song; the occasionally clunkiness of the lyrics in a Korean version (included in In Your Fantasy) affirms that the song was intended to be in English.
Literally channeling Lucifer, Ateez position themselves as sinful seductors:
Heaven is in my stare
I ain’t gonna take you there
Read between the lines, look here Lucifer
Devil in disguise, we know how this works
This energy can also be found in Yunho’s smooth solo track “Slide to me,” though with a slightly less satanic twist. Meanwhile San’s (also all-English) solo “Creep” and Seonghwa’s solo “Skin” live firmly in reciprocally toxic relationship territory. To put it simplistically, Golden Hour Pt. 3 and In Your Fantasy present contrasting light and dark takes on sex and seduction, simultaneously showcasing Ateez’s versatility and calling into question the consistency of their vision.
Still, the musical strengths of several tracks and Ateez’s effortless embodiment of the sultry in-performance make a strong case for them embracing seduction as their new central concept. There’s just one problem: They don’t seem to have anything interesting to say about it.
Part of this is because of the aforementioned waffling between light and dark, but across the board, the lyrics in these songs veer into conventionality. “I like it when you lose control,” “no need for words,” “kill me with that look babe:” none of these lines are embarrassing, per se, but they could belong to any of a thousand love songs sung by a thousand different singers. Ateez’s lyrics have never been their biggest calling card, but they’re usually evocative and sharp, qualities now barely in sight.
Perhaps the one lyrical standout here is “In Your Fantasy” which has a dash of camp and humor—the penchant for which is an undisputed highlight of Ateez’s recent eras—that elevates it. Otherwise, there are a lot of indistinct platitudes. and to be fair, Ateez hardly have another option. Each member may be contributing lyrics to their solo songs, and Hongjoong and Mingi may be consistently writing their own raps, but whatever personal experiences or insights into romance they may have, they can’t share them in an industry that considers having a partner a ‘scandal.”
This, then, is the great Achilles heel of the love and sex concept. The greatest songs about these universal topics have a touch of the confessional about them. Through no fault of their own, Ateez can’t confess, so they’ll always be stuck singing second-best love songs.
What, then, are their other conceptual options? They could coast on their own charisma, which was an approach they tried in “Ice on My Teeth” and which appears here on Hongjoong’s solo and Mingi’s “ROAR.” That charisma is not insignificant, making for fun hype tracks, Mingi’s barking and all. Still, that’s a bit of a narrow box for a group with so much versatility.
The most promising path visible within In Your Fantasy is exemplified by “Now this House Ain’t a Home,” a standout B-side from Golden Hour Pt. 3. With rock-tinged vocals, “Now this House” is another addition to Ateez’s large collection of strong, unconventional ballads (see “Turbulence” or “One Day at a Time”). Ateez deliver a poignant, grounded reflection on childhood, alienation, and the illusive dream of ‘home’:
You never know what’s around the bend
Mothers to daughters
Who turn sons into fathers
In time, we all get taller
While sometimes feeling smaller
Now this house ain’t a home
“Now this House” provides a glimpse at a potential evolution of Ateez’s signature anti-status quo focus that would see them step out of fantastical revolutions and into the bitter but compelling light of the real world. There are hints of this vision in fellow Golden Hour Pt. 3 b-side “Castle” and Wooyoung’s solo “Sagittarius,” even if both songs are, unfortunately, less musically striking than “Now this House.” Still, with their romantic lyrical bent, “Castle” and “Sagittarius” provide examples of how Ateez could enliven the sultry, thematic maturity they show within In Your Fantasy with a dash of the emotional maturity of “Now this House.” Toss in the wit and flair for drama that brought the group where they are today, and now you’re cooking up a concept worth tuning into.
For now, though, that’s just the seed of an idea. Taken as it is, In Your Fantasy is an album full of ups and downs, musically as well as conceptually. This is perhaps exemplified by the album’s solos. It’s worth noting that these solos seem to have been created with their current world tour in mind, and therefore have a key performance component that can’t be accessed through headphones alone. Working with what we have though, it’s a mixed bag.
Leading strong is Hongjoong’s “NO1” which boasts a hard-hitting EDM production style and solid central wordplay. As Ateez’s most active songwriter and producer, it’s perhaps unsurprising that he would be capable of creating a suitable solo song for himself. Additionally, though, Hongjoong is credited on lyrics, music, and arrangement for all but two solo songs, an exciting extension of his production involvement.
Despite the previously mentioned lyrical mundanity, Seonghwa and Yunho’s solos are two-thirds of a trio of excellent vocal showcases (Seonghwa, those falsettos!), rounded out by maknae Jongho’s “To be your light.” Jongho’s solo, which sounds like a drama OST, could be criticized for coming out of left field within In Your Fantasy. However, Jongho’s clarity and confidence in his artistic identity are commendable and elevate the traditional ballad. In contrast, all individuality is quashed in San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang’s forgettable solos. Yeosang’s “Legacy” is an especially baffling miss: a throwback to Ateez’s dystopian tendencies subject-wise, but with the most clunking, uninventive production imaginable. Put “Legacy” side-by-side with “Now this House,” where Yeosang’s distinctive deep tone is perfectly used, and you’re left baffled by what went wrong in the space of a few tracks.
Bouncing from highs to lows and from sun-tinged romance to shadow-enveloped seduction, In Your Fantasy is a chaotic and occasionally brilliant mess. It’s a testament to a group pivoting conceptually, and growing individually and collectively, in real time.
That evolution is still very much ongoing as In Your Fantasy comes to a close, but Ateez have committed themselves to moving forward: all eight members recently re-signed with KQ Entertainment for seven more years. There’s much work to be done, but there’s enough to admire about In Your Fantasy to warrant cautious optimism, especially when you take into consideration all that Ateez have accomplished to reach this moment in their career. As Jongho sings to close his solo and the album, “we’ll make it happen just like we once did.” Ateez did the impossible several times before. What’s a few artistic growing pains compared to that?
(Naver, YouTube. Lyrics via Genius[1][2][3][4][5][6], YouTube[1]. Images via KQ Entertainment.)
English (US) · 