Early Access: ATEEZ - Wake Up
Added 2023-09-04 23:07:25 +0000 UTCHere's our reaction to ATEEZ's Wake Up !
We woke up, and then we died.
Enjoy.
Comments
Coming back to let you know that they absolutely killed it on their concert... the clips I saw - simply amazing
Paulina
2024-02-16 18:37:39 +0000 UTCOh this is such an awesome unraveling of the song by you! Loved this very much :D we're just as excited for Outlaw so stay tuned!! :D
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:08:10 +0000 UTCD'some still recovering from this one :') it's such a powerful song
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:07:13 +0000 UTCSO excited for Outlaw
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:06:52 +0000 UTCYou know, more than anything, I most agree with Bouncy being the outlier now that we've pretty much finished the album! Surprising how things have turned out!
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:06:38 +0000 UTCYessssssss Wooyoung's voice for sure! :D Happy to hear you were excited to check out our vid asap! ;)
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:05:34 +0000 UTCWe'd most likely wake up with a panic attack if we had this as our alarm XD
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:04:52 +0000 UTCThank you :') still recovering
Handsome Sausages
2023-09-08 00:04:29 +0000 UTCISNT WAKE UP AMAZING HAHAHAHAHAHA. Its my fave bside from this album 💜
Dachi
2023-09-07 16:13:01 +0000 UTCI can't tell you how much I would love to see them actually do a movie, with them cast in their roles. Just... please... sometime in my lifetime!
Nikole
2023-09-06 17:41:23 +0000 UTCLmao! Same, Han C, same! I love this song. Gives me goosebumps every time. Pretty sure it’s been said, but Mingi says “fix on” before his rap. He’s basically grabbing your attention and saying fix on him. It’s also a play on his name. HongJoong’s is his laugh/giggle. You hear the laugh you know it’s over. I will also forever say, since half the members have acted before, they can take their lore and make it a movie and we would all sit and watch and lose our shit. Came for the music but stayed for the lore lmao. 🖤
Trialz315
2023-09-06 15:25:49 +0000 UTC😂😂 yeah.
Briana
2023-09-05 22:44:18 +0000 UTCit was my first comeback too!!! ♡
♡ Bludreamgirl ♡
2023-09-05 17:14:45 +0000 UTCI've mentioned the recurring themes they give us in their lyrics and lore before - "Wake Up" is obviously one of those. I love that they made an entire song centered on that concept and phrase, given where we are in the timeline/lore. The Korean title does indeed mean "hypnosis", "an artificially induced trance state resembling sleep, characterized by heightened susceptibility to suggestion"... if we look further to "hypnotize", we get "to influence, control, or direct completely, as by personal charm, words, or domination". This album series (The World, with EP.1 Movement and EP.2 Outlaw so far) takes place in World Z, where citizens are kept under control within a class system. The diary for this album does an excellent job of describing how the class system works, what Prestige Academy is about (and how it looks), how they're trained all through formative years to live in an emotionless trance of sorts, etc. The academy is where the highest classes are trained for government-related roles, so breaking students free works toward breaking the system from within at the base level. Moving on... Every. single. member. shines. here. That's one of the things that stands out the most throughout this album, and this song specifically does that most for me. The other songs are all equally amazing and I don't have a favorite, but in terms of really just putting the spotlight on every member, this one is best for me. Jongho's vocals are like a siren screaming warning, danger, pay attention, etc. It's absolutely beautiful how they've worked in his ability to do this. Wooyoung does so well with staccato vocals, bringing truth to the idea of speaking to a disconnected soul, bits and pieces coming through to the subconscious level of those who are "sleeping" in the system. Captain's rap sums up the feeling of being controlled within the system - being possessed and unable to think for oneself, unable to resist, unable to even know who you really are. Also, Captain is seriously spitting fire. This guy who analyzes K-pop raps said Captain broke his previous speed record with this one, hitting 8.75 syllables per second (it would've been faster if he hadn't done the drawn out bits, but the feel of that in my ears was chef's kiss and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way). The analyst talks about it here ~ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2yWasiJjDjY (I'm not mentioning everyone by name, but again, everyone shines.) ----- Lyric-related notes and thoughts ~ In Captain's rap, "Dissonance of ego" I think is basically "cognitive dissonance", which is a state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought (within one's own mind) contradict each other. The theory proposes that inconsistencies within the mind causes aversion, often to the point that a person will try to adjust their thinking when they recognize that their own thoughts, words, or behaviors seem to clash with each other. This information is from the Psychology Today website, where there's more on the topic ~ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-dissonance When they're talking about knowing it's confusing, and shaken emotions messing with sense of reality, it calls back to the diary entry where they're talking to the older brother of the kid who went to the bunker for help (the teaser at the end of 'Guerrilla'). They acknowledge that it's scary to feel things, but that feeling is part of life and that humans need feelings in order to grow. The "face my eyes" also calls back to the diary for me, because when Yeosang first makes contact with the older brother, he speaks to him from behind and makes eye contact... which the brother can't remember ever doing before, since there's never been any reason for students to look at each other ("interest" in something or someone is an emotion, after all). ----- You guys mentioned that the music is up front and the vocals are in the back. This makes total sense when you consider that it's meant to be them coming into the subconscious of those who are being controlled; the control link would be the thing up front that holds their attention, while our guys slide in and try to break through to be heard. Later in the song, it feels to me like the music shifts and the vocals come forward more. You guys would know that better than me, but to my ears it does sound that way. It could be because of Jongho's notes there, or the fact that they've shifted to a crowd chant, but the effect is like they've begun to break through and grab attention. (Which, again, fits perfectly with the diary.) Overall, the harmonies are astounding. I can't even accurately describe just how much this song is ear candy for me. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite song off the album, it would probably be this one... I just refuse to do it since they're all so good (and even a sprinkling of whisperTEEZ won't make me go against that). If it helps at all, the above thoughts are based on many, many listens. When I first listened to the album, it was straight through from start to finish, and trust when I say that I was fully brain-f*cked and definitely not able to put into words how great it was or WHY I liked it so much... of course, I put the whole damn thing immediately back into queue and did it again, like 3 times. I really didn't start trying to put actual coherent thoughts together on any of the songs until I started watching reactions, and the whole point of doing it is that I know how blown away I've been so I always try to add something that helps with either understanding the song or gives perspective (at least from my personal interpretation). Mingi's signature is "Fix On", which doubles as a call for us to pay attention to what he's about to say... and a play on his name (he's "Big Song", with Song being his surname). Captain's signature is a little laugh. While they both will include it most of the time, it's been left out before when it simply doesn't fit (no room in the bars for what they want to say and the signature). I love that you pointed out how our boys break the typical structure/progress of the song so that it doesn't get boring. I also love how most of their stuff has anti-drops where your ear expects a standard drop, because it brings such an amazing feeling of "holding on" to the sounds (for me). This time I mentioned diary entries more than ever before, because I actually sat down and read the whole thing (from this album) again before watching your reaction. It's unfortunately the only diary album I have so far, but that will change. Anyway, I brought it up here because you noted how closely they stick to their lore, and that's one thing that is evident when you compare the diary entries to the progression of the songs on the album. It's so good... and I'm totally down to buy the book if they compile it all in another 5 or 10 years, because the storyline is captivating. "I love that this album contains...the Guerrilla feeling" Perfect note there. The diary even describes the beginning of the MV, where the loudspeakers start pumping out music. :D After all of this, to say that I'm excited for your reaction to 'Outlaw'.
Nikole
2023-09-05 15:43:08 +0000 UTCI think it’s a first that I’ve seen both of you breakdown with both of your hands over your mouth. 🫢 I’m not sure if you caught them the first time through, it took me a few listens to catch the whispering in the song also. I think there’s a “paranoid” when they go into the trancey pre chorus and there’s a few whispered “wake up” before the chorus actually starts. The way they highlighted the best of everyone’s vocals in this album’s is 👏🏻Thank you for appreciating the boys!!!
_Dani.Lynn_
2023-09-05 14:04:30 +0000 UTCThose photos of the members are the official photos for the OUTLAW album. Whenever I listen to this song, I think that ATEEZ are telling the people to wake up from the lies and brainwashing. You guys will love Mingi and Hongjoong's beginning parts in Outlaw.
Eva Minster
2023-09-05 10:40:31 +0000 UTCThanks for the reaction, as always! Look, we will always appreciate y’all breaking down and fanboying. We’re right there with you. Something I find super interesting is that, to me, “wake up” and “hypnosis” are opposite concepts, even if you wake up at the end of hypnosis. I love how that contrast is represented musically by Woo’s repeated line, which is totally hypnotic, lulling you, but ends with him doubling with Jongho telling you to wake up. And YES Hongjoong’s rap here was insane! The rap sections, and, of course, Jongho’s main part (which DOES sound directly lifted out of Guerrilla),provide such good contrasts to the hypnotic sections. To me, this whole song is a game of opposites, of sleeping and waking. And yes, to me, ATEEZ are the kings of the concept, and yet,also to me, they took it to the next level with this album. It’s basically thematically perfect. Tells a story so cleanly, and most importantly, the story sounds amazing. If anything, the outlier track is “Bouncy,” but I think the album needed it to avoid being too grim, and I think I needed it to have a song of the summer
Tealeafer
2023-09-05 06:37:04 +0000 UTCI absolutely love this song, I just woke up (appropriate hahaha) and saw the notification of you reacting to this and it immediately popped up in my head. It's such a satisfying song, I really love that in this song they really embrace Wooyoung's voice. (this album generally has done that to be fair!). As he's considered more main performer, he doesn't often have many lines in songs, especially very impactful songs, but in this one he does and it really suits his tone (the "you can hear my voice etc.", also the staccato of those lines is sooo satisfying!). As you added in the edit of your video, yes Mingi often says "Fix on", it's his signature, it's not always added because not all songs work as well with it. Hongjoong's signature is his little maniacal laugh at the start, it's both very subtle but does help hype you up for the rap to come.
SaarCookie
2023-09-05 06:04:07 +0000 UTCI'm relatively new to Ateez so this was my first proper comeback with them, but this album as a whole feels the most cohesive even while every song is different. And Wake Up is definitely my favourite :)
ShawnyJ
2023-09-05 01:14:10 +0000 UTCIt is funny that you said you have no choice but to wake up hearing this song. I have it set as my alarm in the mornings. Lol. Truly is an amazing song. The vocals are always on point and Mingi’s deep rap along with Hongjoong’s fast rap. Perfection.
Stacey Mac
2023-09-05 00:32:17 +0000 UTCI always appreciate that you truly and genuinely break down. It shows that your reactions are real. Don't worry, any analysis you give is why I keep watching. Just keep doing what you are doing and enjoying the songs. ATEEZ is awesome!
Gaby Fukumura
2023-09-04 23:40:04 +0000 UTCMingi always says “fix on”. Is his signature to let the listener know to pay attention. Is also a play with his name Song. Hongjoong’s signature is the laugh.
Yamarie Ortiz
2023-09-04 23:21:14 +0000 UTC♡ !!!!!!!OMG FINALLY!!!!!! ♡ (mingi always says FIX ON before he raps) This has to be my favorite song on the album, HJ lil screamys are so great I bet it sounds good in a stadium. Jongho's high notes and like I said I feel like this song is bigger than any of the others. (of course that's my opinion) I GENUINELY loved seeing BOTH of you break at this one, I was stunned silent pretty much this whole album. ♡
♡ Bludreamgirl ♡
2023-09-04 23:15:45 +0000 UTC
