The eight busiest people in the world are back once again! ATEEZ have released their third Japanese single, ‘NOT OKAY,’ and well, neither are we. ATEEZ never stop, and with the TOWARDS THE LIGHT: WILL TO POWER tour starting so recently and Hongjoong’s collab with Chung Ha around the corner, there’s no time to waste! We’ll get straight into it: here are our thoughts on ATEEZ’s ‘NOT OKAY.’
“Let’s Keep It Loud”
Let’s start with the track itself! ‘NOT OKAY’ isn’t a traditional Japanese comeback in the sense that it’s not a ballad, which is what a lot of K-Pop groups opt for. Instead, it’s archetypal ATEEZ! We love its intensity, and that chorus drop is magnificent. Not to mention how hard Wooyoung slays the chorus and bridge or how iconic Yeosang’s pre-chorus is. It might be more vocal-focused than some of their singles, but it still feels like them. We’re the number one ATEEZ-jp-cb enthusiasts (and unapologetic ‘Paradigm’ lovers).
To dive a little deeper, the lyrics for ‘NOT OKAY’ are so impressive, too. Mingi’s line, “Be it Hip-hop, pop, rock, Surrender yourself to the sounds you feel,” has such a liberating feeling, which is something we love about so much of ATEEZ’s work. We’re also super suspicious of the ‘Desire’ reference in Hongjoong’s verse, especially considering the recent ‘Illusion’ references with ANITEEZ…
“Want Some More”
They really named a song ‘NOT OKAY’ and opened the MV with the definition of trauma, huh? No one could ever accuse ATEEZ of being subtle, that’s for sure. The commentary on social media and technology throughout the video is so well-executed and so in line with ‘NOT OKAY’s lyricism. Our one criticism, if you can even call it that, is that it should be illegal to ever make Yeosang cry, even if it’s acting.
And, of course, we could hardly talk about an ATEEZ comeback without talking about the choreography, could we? The emphasis on precision is so satisfying! Naturally, though, our favorite part has to be when Seonghwa draws the anarchy signal in the air as part of his solo. What’s more, some ATINYs (who are far smarter than us!) spotted that Wooyoung’s choreography even intertwines with his parts in their most recent title track, ‘Crazy Form.’ ATEEZ literally never leave anything to coincidence or miss an opportunity to add some lore references, and we absolutely love that about them.
“I’ll Be With You Forever”
And if ‘NOT OKAY’ wasn’t enough, ATEEZ also gave us a b-side in the form of ‘Days.’ This ballad might be a little more obvious as a Japanese comeback, but it still has that ATEEZ flair! Plus, the lyrics are so dreamy. We’ll be adding this to our playlists right alongside ‘Youth’ and ‘Dreamy Day’ TBH.
How are you feeling after ATEEZ’s ‘NOT OKAY?’ Got any tips on how we can recover? Let us know by tweeting us at @TheHoneyPOP or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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