K-Album Review: Season Songs by ATEEZ and Kim Jong-kook

Ankita Panda, Kolkata, West Bengal

ATEEZ (에이티즈) is a South Korean boy group formed by KQ Entertainment and debuted on October 24, 2018. The group consists of eight members, namely, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho, and are famously known as “Global Performance Idols” by the Korean media. After releasing various successful albums, they decided to collaborate with Kim Jong-kook (김 종국), a former member of the duo Turbo (터보), and Running Man cast member. Their collaborative mini album is called Season Songs which was released on 16^th August 2021 and consists of 3 tracks whose lyrics and music production reminds us of different seasons. But not only the album but a reality show titled A Man of the Pirate King was released on Kakao TV and 1theK’s official YouTube channel, which showed the process of the making of the album, as well as the interactions between the legend Kim Jong-kook and the Leaders of 4^th Generation ATEEZ. Let’s dive into the different seasons, shall we?

 Be My Lover or Wanna Go See the Sea? (바다 보러 갈래?)

This is the first track of the album and also the title track. The lyrics and composition of the track are by EDEN, LEEZ, BUDDY, Ollounder, Kim Hong-joong, and is arranged by BUDDY. It has a retro dance-pop vibe to it that isn’t limited to this generation. The lyrics and music composition successfully hits people of different generations, making them feel nostalgic but also warm. The sentimental melody paired with the saxophone and the beautiful voices of the artists manages to captivate the ears of the listeners, making them feel a sense of freshness as if they are at the sea. This summer-themed track will make you feel giddy and will make you dance, as the choreography is pretty addictive. 

White Love (여름날의 겨울 둥화)

The second track of the album was originally released by Turbo, titled White Love (at the ski resort) and it was known to be the representative winter song of the 90s. The revamped version released by ATEEZ is called White Love (a winter tale on a summer day) and it will make you feel as if you have been transported to the 1920s jazz era. ATEEZ’s Song Min-gi and Kim Hong-joong took part in writing the lyrics for the track and the arrangement was done by BUDDY. The softness of the member’s voices paired with the jazz and the piano will make you feel like you are in a jazz bar, dancing and enjoying yourself. The lyrics will make fall in love with how pretty they are: “Look at the sky It’s snowing; Large snowflakes are flying like a butterfly; It’s the whole white snow world; It changed clothes; It’s beautiful I’m gonna tell you today; Looking at the white snow; Our pure love like snow will last forever; Our pure love like snow; White love oh forever.” Like a blanket on a snowy day, this winter-themed song will embrace you with its warmth, all you have to do is close your eyes and melt away.  

The Black Cat Nero (검은 고양이 네로)

With the third and final track of the album, ATEEZ changes the whole game, by introducing a Halloween-themed rock anthem. Arranged by Ollounder, this track is a revised version of Turbo’s Black Cat Nero. On August 29, 2020, ATEEZ for the first time appeared on the South Korean television program named Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend, while it was conducting the second part of its Turbo/Kim Jong-kook special and won it. They performed Turbo’s Black Cat Nero and managed to blow everyone’s mind with their powerful choreography and expressions, as well as the re-interpretation of the song. Turbo’s Black Cat was originally a pop song, to which ATEEZ added their own style by giving it a creepy vibe and changing the instrumentals to suit the rock genre, and according to Kim Jong-kook, they made the song their own. Due to popular demand, ATEEZ released a special music video for the song showcasing their choreography, and a cameo was done by the Legend himself Kim Jong-kook. 

Season Songs is an album which breaks the stereotype that the music produced by 4^th generation artists won’t be appealing to the previous generations. It destroys the idea that a 1^st generation artist won’t be able to work well with the newer generations and shows us that music has no age or generation limit. It can be enjoyed as long as it’s good music. 

Happy Listening! Which track from the album is your favourite? Tell us in the comments!