With the release of their title song, Guerrilla, Ateez has launched their new series, The World Ep.1: Movement.
K-pop has come to pride itself on the intricate storylines that the groups manage to intertwine into their songs. A large aspect of a comeback album’s popularity relies on how well the group executes the storyline, which is constantly developing and incorporates with their new style. Ateez’s new album, The World Ep.1: Movement, plays a significant role in the story the group has been sharing since their debut itself and its rapidly growing view count is a testament to their brilliant execution of the same.
The basis of Ateez’s storyline lies in the fact that eight pirates, represented by the eight members of the group, are navigating a world where art, music, and other significant aspects of our society’s culture are prohibited, and rebellion results in strict persecution.
The group’s latest album, with a total of seven tracks, revolves around the story of eight young “pirates” who start a movement to change the world where emotions and expressions are restricted. This stagnant world is sharply disrupted when a band of guerrillas, the group of eight, dominates this world and broadcasts loud, blaring music to inspire others to break the rigid system they have been placed in with the power of music.
The music video starts with the boys setting up a loudspeaker to send their message about a ‘new world’. In the chorus, the members reiterate their want for a world where they are no more controlled by societal norms.
“Dance, Break that wall/ With our feel/ Spread it our Guerrilla/ this is how we shout/ loudly, keep it loud/ until everyone opens their eyes/ this are how we fight/ now we are gonna ride/wake up the world, we are oh.” Through immersive lyrics, they ask, “With both ears covered/ With both eyes covered/ Like a duplicated doll/ Can’t live like that.” Carefully arranged with powerful choreography, it is difficult to take your eyes away from the four-minute-and-17-second long music video for Guerrilla.
Leading up to the launch of their title song, Guerrilla, Ateez released multiple teasers and trailers that set the tone for the upcoming album while also providing the direction in which the storyline would follow.
The 1-2-minute-long trailers, a length that is highly experimental and not done by many groups before them, were cinematic masterpieces in their own right. From the visuals, highlighted elements, and sound production to the attention to detail and power exuded from the short videos, Ateez had already started receiving immense love from their fanbase, Atiny.
In fact, the trailers geared Atinys to stream and show support for the Guerrilla music video, which increased by over a million views during the course of writing this article itself.
Furthermore, Ateez initially revealed their comeback in the most innovative way. They shared flyers of the announcement in many cities with a QR code that led to an audio file that was titled ‘PROPAGANDA.’ The audio teaser announced the name of their comeback album.
The allure of Ateez lies in the fact that they are not from any of the bigger K-pop companies and yet their popularity has extended rapidly across the Korean population, making them one of the hottest fourth-generation Korean groups. Furthermore, Ateez’s admirable ability to transcend beyond the standards of mainstream K-pop and create their own style of music is what makes the support from their fanbase so unwavering.
The entire album, with the tracks Propaganda, Sector 1, Cyberpunk, Guerrilla, The Ring, WDIG (Where Do I Go), and New World, are all exceptional in the way that they follow a similar style which is characteristic of this album and its storyline and yet each song has its own charm that makes it shine through. While Guerrilla has received the most support, due to it having an extremely power-packed performance to watch, as of right now 9.5 million times, it is difficult to deny that Ateez and their incredible production teams have, yet again, put immense efforts into creating an album that would become another fan favorite.
The highest number of views within 24 hours from release for Ateez was their previous comeback Deja Vu which amassed 11.37 million views. Will The World Ep.1: Movement receives the same love, or perhaps will it surpass this remarkable record?
All seven tracks are now available for streaming worldwide. Look forward to the powerful performances that will follow as well!
Watch the MV for ATEEZ’s comeback title track “Guerrilla”, here!
