By Kya Brogdon | 21 June, 2023
ATEEZ: The World EP. 2: Outlaw
Six months since their last Korean release, eight-member group ATEEZ is back with their second installment of The World series. Dropped almost a year since the first EP in the series, The World Ep.2: Outlaw picks up ATEEZ’s story and brings a new type of spice to their discography.
A quick fan favorite after the release of its teaser, “DJANGO” is the perfect bridge between The World Ep.1: Movement and Outlaw.
While they don’t sound alike, “DJANGO” gives me similar vibes (and goosebumps upon first listen) as “The Ring” from Movement. Both songs have a cinematic quality to them, and “DJANGO” feels almost like the members are boasting about winning the fight that they allude to “The Ring.” The chorus, “모든 걸 걸어 쏴, right now / 운명을 건 final round / 달아날 테면 달아나 / Ain't nobody mess with Django, call me Django” (translation: “Put everything on the line and shoot, right now / Final round with fate on the line / If you want to run away, then run away / Ain't nobody mess with Django, call me Django”) exudes such an air of confidence that it’s literally impossible to not feel like you’re on top of the world while listening to the song. As expected from ATEEZ (who are constantly praised for their energetic bursts in the last thirty seconds of their songs), the outro of “DJANGO” is just as iconic as the chorus. If you know me, you know how much I love when groups spell things in their songs, (I don’t know why, but something about it is just so fun) so when I heard the members chanting “D-J-A-N-G-O” in the outro, I immediately knew this song was going to appear on my repeat replay playlist. After listening to the teaser, I knew this song was going to be a hit, and I’m not at all surprised at how much love it’s received now that the full version is out.
The rock-inspired title track “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” has quickly climbed up to the top ranks of my favorite ATEEZ title tracks. Ever since the teaser drop, it’s been stuck in my head - making the wait for the music video release agonizing. As the title suggests, “Bouncy” is filled with all kinds of ATEEZ spice - an addicting beat and choreography that makes you want to dance immediately after the first watch. The chorus follows a similar stylistic choice as their songs “HALA HALA (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)” and “To The Beat”, where the second round of the lyrics are sung in a high-pitched auto-tuned voice of one of the members - in this case, Kim Hongjoong - while the members show off their unbelievable dance skills.
After bopping along to the latest iconic Song Mingi rap verse - in which he spells out his name, “S-O-N-G M-I-N-G-I / Gonna know it's over (Ayy) / 출신 위치 나이 종교 나라까지 / 허물없이 전부, it don't matter (Matter)” (translation: S-O-N-G M-I-N-G-I / Gonna know it's over (Ayy) / Where you're from, where you are, your age, religion, and even country / No boundaries, all of it, it doesn't matter (Matter)”), Atiny were all surprised when we were greeted with member Park Seonghwa, who is known for his incredible vocals, broke into a rap during his part of the song. I didn’t know I needed rapper Seonghwa so badly in my life, but now I never want him to leave.
The last song I want to spotlight from the album is “Dune.” Opening with a hypotonic chanting of “Mm-day, mm-day, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh / Mm-day, mm-day, oh,” the song immediately grabs your attention and doesn’t let you go. After the insanely positive reaction they got for Kang Yeosang’s deep register and vocals when they dropped “Halazia” at the end of last year, I hoped they would lean into it more as they continued to drop songs, and “Dune” exceeded all of my expectations. Just as you’re getting used to the melody and the pacing, the song takes a dive into a whole new dimension when the chorus starts and Yeosang’s voice swoops in deep and melodic as he chant-sings the lyrics. When I first listened to this song, I literally paused everything I was doing and sat with my jaw on the floor as I listened to Yeosang’s chorus. I couldn’t wait to finish the whole album so I could go back and listen to “Dune” again.
Every time ATEEZ drops new music, I’m always unsure as to how they’re going to top it in the future - and every time, they somehow seem to do that. The World Ep.2: Outlaw only continues this trend, “BOUNCY” is a ten out of ten title track for me, and the B-sides are absolutely stellar. I’m obsessed with the rock-esque vibe they’ve been leaning into more since “Guerilla” (and even in some songs prior), and I can’t wait to see how they perform these songs at concerts in the future - manifesting I get KCON tickets so I can see them.
Congrats on an amazing comeback, boys! You’ve made Atinys proud.
