[Review] Lemon Drop – ATEEZ

While I have been a bit busy over the last few days (hence my absence from the blog), ATEEZ has been busy releasing their new mini-album, GOLDEN HOUR: Part 3, and the title track Lemon Drop. It follows on from ATEEZ’s last comeback 7 months ago with GOLDEN HOUR: Part 2 (yet to be reviewed) and Ice On My Teeth.

I will admit that Lemon Drop didn’t really catch my attention when it first came out. I’ll get into that more in a second. But after listening to it a few more times over the past couple of days, I am happy to report that Lemon Drop has started to grow on me. The new single is a R&B hip-hop mix with a fresh, laid-back vibe, which is a nice change from ATEEZ’s usual harder-hitting stuff. It works well with the summery season South Korea is currently experiencing (I’m very jealous as I sit in my apartment trying to escape the cold winter weather in Australia). That said, Lemon Drop comes off as too polished, which is the primary reason why it was hard for me to get into the song. The chorus embodies this flaw, and in the absence of a substantial and strong hook, I find it leans a bit too much into that slickness. Thus, it was hard for me to keep coming back to the song without really focusing on it. Vocally and rap-wise, the members did a solid job. But it’s not their most memorable material. I much prefer it when they go bolder, but they handled the style of Lemon Drop well.

It is eye candy galore for fans in Lemon Drop‘s music video. ATEEZ really induces the heat with this ultra sexy video. This alone complements that chilled and refreshing vibe mentioned earlier about the song. Their visual game is powerful – if there is anything to take away from this comeback, it is probably just this observation. I applaud ATEEZ’s stylists for hitting a home run with the way they styled the members throughout the video. I also applaud ATEEZ themselves, whose hard work in physically preparing for this music video has paid off. I do wonder if the groovy and funky instrumented ending we get at the end of the video alludes to a future comeback.

While there is subtle intensity in the routine, I do find the choreography for this comeback to be quite chilled and laidback. This shows that the routine embodies the song well, while also finding a balance with ATEEZ’s usual performance style.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10