Review: ATEEZ - Eternal Sunshine

Summer started awfully late this year for the K-Pop community, did it not? ONF's Popping, Oneus's Life is Beautiful, and now ATEEZ's Eternal Sunshine, all of them are summer songs released in late August or September. What is going on?

Despite the dramatic introduction, the reason is quite simple. June and July this year were dominated by summer comebacks from Twice, Brave Girls, EXO, TXT, and BTS. All of these are some of the biggest K-Pop artists at the moment, and no one wants to compete with that. Thus, I get the feeling that all the smaller agencies rescheduled their comebacks to later in the year.

This also might have played a part in Deja Vu being voted by fans as the title track of ATEEZ's new album, postponing Eternal Sunshine even further, potentially into August. KQ Entertainment is now in a tight spot. On one hand, releasing the MV for Eternal Sunshine might distract fan and audience efforts for Deja Vu. But if they delay Eternal Sunshine too much, it will miss its intended season by even more.

However, I am of the opinion that this late summer exists just to explain Hallyu Reviews picking a September song for our Summer review series.

I decided to review Eternal Sunshine first, potentially eternally skipping Deja Vu for absolutely no reason other than me trying to speed up the discussion on this song. I'll probably update this post once the summery MV comes out... right in the middle of autumn

Now that I have spent five paragraphs talking about the song's release date, I better get around to talking about the song. Eternal Sunshine is basically pop music. Compared to the dramatic songwriting typically expected of Edenary, this is rather chill, likely intended for much earlier in the year. This is especially evident in the post-chorus, which is driven by a light-hearted summer synth loop.

Another highlight in the song would be the pre-chorus, which gives San and Jongho a chance to shine. Unlike others, I never felt San a fully accomplished vocalist (something he more than makes up through dancing), but he provides the energy he always brings, relying on more than technical ability. Jongho, of course, shines through each and every moment, even if I have seen much better from him before.

The verses can occasionally fall into goofy segments, such as the first chorus's trap beat. Nonetheless, the song never collapses. The chorus also is inspiring, even if it never reaches the heights of other ATEEZ releases.

When it is all said and done, Eternal Sunshine is a whole lot of fun, even if it is not amazing. The pre-and-post-choruses are amazing, while the verses and chorus are strong too. Mingi unfortunately never gets something grand for his return (another reason Deja Vu might have been voted as the title track), while the funky bridge is surprisingly appealing. Overall, Eternal Sunshine is another entry into ATEEZ's shining discography.

Rating: 8.5/10

Image Source: Allkpop