A K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.
As I feared, ATEEZ’s Bouncy is following a Guerilla-style trajectory and already starting to wear thin. Chanted choruses tend to have less longevity on my playlist, and I’m finding myself less interested in the track as time goes on.
The group’s new album doesn’t have anything as great as Cyberpunk on it, but opener This World scratches a similar itch. I love when ATEEZ pair atmospheric synth with their rock opera bombast. There are parts of this track that feel almost prog rock in nature, which would be a very refreshing direction to explore further. The melodies are mysterious and foreboding and the entire song is intense without having to hit you over the head with its intensity. Jonho is given more to do than just shriek a few lines and the verses are interspersed with dynamic drum-and-bass interludes that keep the arrangement diverse throughout.
This World feels like an overture to something quite exciting. I’m not sure the album completely follows through on this promise, but there are moments that remind me just how much I adore ATEEZ’s theatrical sound.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I haven’t listened to bouncy more than five times despite being a big fan of ateez. This World is actually my second choice for best bside—I prefer wake up. Both quite similar tracks but Wake Up happens to incorporate more vocal textures and feels more streamlined.
That said, this one is Cyberpunk’s sibling and a fantastic opener.
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The opposite’s happening with me with Bouncy lol, I’m kind of addicted to it, especially the second verse. Honestly a top of the month contender.
This one, I like – kind sounds like a synthy version of The Black Cat Nero.
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It took me 3 days to decide how I feel about Bouncy, and for some reason, it really works so well. I think the main reason why is because the way Hongjoong delivers the talk-singing chorus is really addictive, it has this ‘sticky’ quality to it. The choice to add the high pitched thingy going on on the second half of the chorus gives it variation in delivery (ATEEZ have a way of enunciating vowels in particular, and I feel that it was beginning to wear itself thin) and it kept it fresh in unique (for me).
As for this, this is pretty good, but I actually prefer Bouncy now. ATEEZ really sell (almost) every song they release to me.
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I think this genre is just not for me.
I appreciate ATEEZ’s willingness to be bombastic a lot though.
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A few days ago, I thought Bouncy worked best in a live setting. However, the recorded version has really grown on me.
This World is a very solid opener and I’d like to see Ateez explore that sound more. But on first listen, I think the closer “Outlaw” is my favorite B Side from the project.
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Outlaw is soooooooo good to me, like that way they sing the chorus is so amazing to me. To be fair I like all the songs in the album, bouncy grew on me quite a lot but the other tracks they all my style. Their vocals are just enchanting, they have a way to sing and blend their harmonies that is just addicting to me.
I am a sucker for this album.
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Honestly Bouncy ended up growing on me a lot more than i expected, and its definitly my favorite song on the album now. This or django would probably have to be my favorite bside, though the album ended up growing on me overall as well
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The road Ateez has been following since Fever part.2 to the present is like “Sure, let’s choose the “worst” song of the album as main track and put the best ones as b-sides”
Bouncy is not a bad song tbh, for me is just a bit cloying. I would’ve prefer ‘Django’ or ‘Wake Up’ as a Main Track before Bouncy.
However,the album is good, Ateez has never disappointed me when I rate their whole projects
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It is as most people are saying. This is diet Cyberpunk.
It’s good but it doesn’t reach THOSE heights.
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What’s prog rock?
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It’s a shortened term for Progressive Rock. Here’s a brief definition google gave me from masterclass.com:
“Progressive rock, or prog rock, is a subgenre of rock music that emphasizes ambitious compositions, experimentation, concept-driven lyrics, and musical virtuosity. “
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