My trajectory with ATEEZ has been a little bit of a thriller. Again in 2019, I discovered them to be some of the thrilling acts in Ok-pop. However because the years have gone on, it’s been tougher to retain the identical stage of pleasure round their music. I’m undecided why that is. Their core ethos (and core collaborators) haven’t modified a lot since debut. Finally, I assume it comes right down to the energy of the songs themselves.

The irreverently-titled Bouncy (Ok-Scorching Chilli Peppers) is an attention-grabbing ball of vitality. It’s essentially the most distorted ATEEZ have sounded on a title observe. From vocals to manufacturing, the tune has a prickly, confrontational enchantment. The instrumental sounds as if it’s been pushed over by a flatbed truck, twisted and corrugated and greater than a little bit tousled. This fixed distortion could destroy some listeners’ ears. I don’t discover it tremendous nice to take heed to, however I respect the demolition derby of all of it.

I might have beloved to listen to this aggressive manufacturing paired with vocals that weren’t so processed. A lot of the observe is shouting at us, typically in an autotuned, cartoonish approach. The pitched-up vocal in the course of the refrain is a turn-off, particularly after the rugged (and surprisingly funky) chant that precedes it. Nonetheless, I give Bouncy kudos for totally committing to its chaos. The tune is really unyielding. Listening to it appears like being caught in the course of a twister.

With this mentioned, I feel you must be in the fitting temper to really take pleasure in Bouncy‘s charms. It will sound nice in an enviornment or as a pump-me-up throughout an intense exercise, nevertheless it lacks the towering melodies or climactic sucker-punchs which have cemented earlier ATEEZ classics. Like final yr’s Guerrilla, I concern the spoken refrain will develop outdated rapidly. It makes me marvel if the blokes are a sufferer of their very own affect. With so many boy teams making an attempt the loud ATEEZ/NCT/Stray Children hype observe format, you’ve actually acquired to seek out key parts that’ll make your tune stand the take a look at of time. Bouncy doesn’t lack ambition, nevertheless it retraces many steps the group has already mastered.

(And past the title, no nod to Pink Scorching Chili Peppers? C’mon, guys!)

Grade: B-