Song Review: Bouncy (K-Hot Chilli Peppers) by ATEEZ

Some songs really need time to fully marinate in my head. I’ve been holding back from writing this review two days longer than I planned I would precisely because I had not made up my mind on how to feel about this song.

ATEEZ, in my humblest opinion, is one of the strongest if not the strongest group of performers in Kpop right now. The charisma, energy, body language, and facial expressions they deliver on stage and in their music videos are simply on a different realm compared to the majority of boy groups. This prowess also means that they are able to take on noisy hype tracks like Bouncy and elevate them in such a way that makes the average listener (aka me) put aside usual reservations, be it in the song’s vocal effects and production.

When I first listened to it, I was overwhelmed to the point of not being able to find a hook to cling on to. ATEEZ have been been toying around with vocal processing since their debut, but ‘Bouncy’ lathers entire rap verses with distortion in a way they’ve never done before. Even the second half of the chorus is pitched up, almost sounding vocaloid-esque, which is fascinating because I don’t think I’ve heard that in K-pop yet. It was a frequent feature of early 2010s pop music (if I am not mistaken) and it was always a hit or miss for me.

The extreme vocal processing paired with the song’s extremely hype (and yet again distorted) production during its verses meant that I was barely in a mood to appreciate the chorus, especially after the high-pitched vocalic voice came in. It was really too much to handle.

However, after giving it more listens, I must say I have quite a positive impression of the song overall.

The weakest part of the song in my opinion, is the first verse, as it sounds the least interesting. It is quite typical ATEEZ, especially with regards to the vocal delivery. I think that the verse could have benefited from more variation of delivery to make it feel a bit less flat- in spite of its bombastic energy from its production. Perhaps it can also be interpreted as ATEEZ establishing their trademark sound. However, despite this, I do think that there could be an alternate way to approach it to make it more effective.

From here on out, the song only improves. The pre-chorus acts as very effective build up, albeit perhaps not as strong as their best pre-choruses. Nevertheless, the passionate vocal delivery paired with the rising production make for an effective surge of energy, before dropping into the song’s main hook, the chorus.

This is easily the song’s most controversial section, but after making up my mind the past few days, I can confidently say that this is a drop done right. The rhythm of the top line is surprisingly funky and addictive, and the choice to slow down the song both in its production and the toning down of the vocal delivery make the song feel dynamically effective. Its hook is extremely potent, and I highly doubt I will forget it anytime soon. Hongjoong’s vocal delivery is absolutely perfect. It is one of the main reasons why I ended up loving this song quite a lot. Additionally, remember how I complained about the lack of variation in the vocal delivery in the first verse? Well, I guess the second part of the chorus is ATEEZ’s answer to making their song’s feel reinventive while keeping the core trademarks of its sound. The high-pitched voice makes the song stand out from all the K-pop songs out there currently, and I find it (yet again) surprisingly effective. It prevented the chorus from becoming one-note, and will (ironically) give the song more longevity.

The song’s second verse also builds upon what the first verse lacked, with the stylistic choices in vocal delivery and production only highlighting the build up even more than the first time. I loved how committed and passionate Seonghwa and Mingi sounded in their rapping. I will note that some of the lyrics on Mingi’s rap flowed a bit strangely though it was quite good still but Seonghwa’s sounded very smooth and it made for a perfectly unstoppable burst of unconfined energy. It feels appropriately punchy and satisfying, more so than the first verse. This makes the second chorus feel more satisfying and even more effective.

Just as I thought it could not be any better, the song’s bridge and climax elevate the song further. The bridge makes use of the deeper voice of Yeosong to add another contrasting element to keep the song insteresting. The final chorus and climax then tones down the chorus tune even more and varies vocal delivery by alternating between members every phrase or so, before launching into glorious group of vocal harmonies that vastly contrast the dissonant second part of the chorus. By breaking free from this pattern of dissonance, it creates a sense of catharcism just as the song ends.

While Bouncy is probably too experimental to be a repeated listen, I think it manages to find enough strengths to maintain longevity. Even if one dislikes certain elements of the song, the one thing you cannot deny is that ATEEZ fully committed to this and it fully paid off in their end, especially in a performance setting. This would make for an absolutely glorious set of performances in a concert, end-of-year show, or anywhere really.

Hooks – 9
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 10
Rap Delivery – 10
Overall – 9.5