ATEEZ Makes a Powerful Comeback in "Wonderland"
The moment ATINYs have been waiting for has arrived: ATEEZ’s fall comeback! TREASURE EP.FIN: All to Action was released on music platforms on October 8 at 6:00 p.m. KST along with the music video for their much-anticipated title track “Wonderland.” The new album features serves as the conclusion to the TREASURE era. ATEEZ held a comeback showcase in the heat of the fanfare, highlights of which can be found on YouTube and Twitter.
Group and solo teaser images for this comeback were released on their Instagram beginning September 17, leading up to video teasers of each member on the 31st from the KQ Entertainment official YouTube channel. The lighting and short preview of the music seemed to show the group sticking within the mysterious and dark vibes we all loved from “HALA HALA” and “Say My Name,” with a slightly more polished and refined concept.
ATEEZ’s shocking music video performance preview was unveiled October 4, highlighting the group’s sharp dances and giving us a hint at what their title track was going to sound like. It seemed like this was pretty comprehensive when it came to what the music would entail, but little did we know the boys had much more in store for us in their full music video!
In the music video for “Wonderland,” the boys can be seen showing off powerful choreography and charisma, accompanied by a large marching band that reinforces the grand finale feeling expressed in the instrumentation. As this marks the third portion of ATEEZ’s trilogy, fan theories regarding the storyline are becoming more complex. The past two albums have documented their journey to gain success while battling their inner demons, symbolized by the masks worn in “HALA HALA” and the mirror in “Say My Name.”
In “Wonderland,” we’re being told to follow them to the top as they are finally about to break free and reach the treasure they have been searching for. This can be seen in a few different images in the video, including Wooyoung being wrapped in chains and the black flag. Black flags typically symbolize the idea of a last attack, so this could mean that the boys are ready to complete their mission in its entirety. As for the ending of the video, it could be unclear whether or not ATEEZ has achieved their goal.
We highly recommend checking out the music video for yourself and piecing together the puzzle of what the boys of ATEEZ are trying to tell you about their journey to stardom! A popular fan theory is that the ending of “Wonderland” actually leads into the beginning of “Wave,” which shows the boys celebrating an accomplishment with upbeat visuals and lyrics. This is nearly confirmed in some of the last lyrics of the song:
“Hurry up, hurry up, to the beginning where the ending is waiting.”
“Wonderland” is the title track for a reason. The fast tempo will get you moving, the chorus will be stuck in your head, and the rap and vocal line complement each other from Mingi’s rap to Seonghwa and Yeosang alternating lines. It will be hard to listen to the song just once!
TREASURE EP.FIN: All to Action consists of eleven songs, featuring beautiful vocals with contrasting rap verses and melodies that either get you pumped or emotional. “End of the Beginning” gives it a melancholy start, and picks up the pace for a strong ending before “Wonderland.”
“Dazzling Light” has a slow and soft melody that gradually gets faster. Gentle vocals help transition into an uplifting rap with the lyrics: “Beat the darkness that’s filled with fear. I overcame this because of you.” The soulful “Mist” is about needing someone by your side to tell you everything is alright, and could be listened to when needing some encouragement. It starts with powerful high notes singing, “Why? Why am I afraid? In this faded mist…”
“Precious (Overture)” has an electronic feel, ending slow and soft with Hongjoong rapping about his treasure; while “Win” is controlled by drum beats that decide the tempo, adding to the harmonizing vocals and deep rap verses. The chorus, “Hey, we are gonna win” will get stuck in your head and get you moving!
Compared to “Win,” “If Without You” is soft and calm. The vocals harmonize with the melody and even the rapping is at a slower pace. The chorus, “If without you, Without you,” adds to the love song and will have you smiling.
“친구(THANK U)” is a lovely song that shows the connection between ATEEZ and their fans, saying “Thank you for being on my side” and “In this hard world we can lean on each other.''
With its gentle tempo, “Sunrise” has an R&B feel and uplifting lyrics like “Just keep it up, so everyone can see, more and more just keep it up.” This song is about getting through hard times and no matter what you can get through it. “With You” starts with soft piano chords and low vocals, proceeding through each member singing romantic lyrics. The percussion and the hand claps add to the loving lyrics that would make any ATINYs heart beat faster.
The last track, “Beginning of the End” is mainly an instrumental piece with violins and percussion that makes it sound like adventure song as it crescendos from its low and soft start, ending with “Let’s toast like a Thunder. Sleep all this, meaning is overflowing.”
The month of October will continue to be filled with exciting new content from ATEEZ, which will have current and new fans hyped and overjoyed. We hope ATINYs were able to survive the unbearable suspense of this comeback season and are equally as overjoyed as we are to be celebrating the new music from one of our favorite idol groups! (This song will definitely be added to our fall playlists.) We’d love to hear your thoughts on “Wonderland” in the comments below!
ATEEZ is an eight-member boy group under the label KQ Entertainment. Since making their debut in late October 2018, they have released three mini albums: TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero, TREASURE EP.2: Zero to One, and TREASURE EP.3: One to All. On October 24, a special anniversary event called MOON RIVER will be held to mark the group’s one-year anniversary at The River Grand Hall in Seochu-gu, Seoul at 9:00 p.m. KST.
Cover Image: ATEEZ (KQ Entertainment)
Written by Abby Kotar & Ashton Carson
