Ateez – Adrenaline

We’re not feeling the rush…

[Video]
[4.17]Claire Davidson: “Adrenaline” is so direct as a hype anthem that its lyrics are basically secondary to the track; all that really matters here is its ability to cultivate the energy its vernacular, with all its talk of maxed-out dopamine centers, so bluntly calls to mind. The song’s success in this area is, to put it kindly, mixed: the verses’ lower, throbbing synth line showcases some foreboding promises, but all of that potential edge immediately retracts upon the emergence of the chorus, which is so clearly yearning for a mid-2010s EDM drop but can only muster a faint whiff of pinched electro noise. Ateez are hardly equipped to headline this material, either, a shortcoming that becomes most obvious on the pre-chorus, where Yeosang’s raspy whispers sound painfully impotent, and the rest of the members’ roided-up shouting makes the entire track sound like a parody of this kind of gym-bro fodder.
[4]

Will Adams: I like how some of the members get a little nu-metal with it, roaring their lines as if to convince themselves there really is that much adrenaline running through their veins. The effort deserves more than the electro-rave drop, which is like late-period Armin Van Buuren on medium-low.
[5]

Andrew Karpan: It’s nice to hear the tender moments of true talent, the lurching bits of an actual song that that appear like little blips in between various bursts of that kind of insistently faceless David Guetta-core that always sound kind like the feeling of being slapped around by a limp leather glove.
[4]

Iain Mew: I love their energy, growly verse especially. If only the adrenaline rush they build to was something more than a watered-down Martin Garrix drop that would have sounded stale in 2016.
[5]

Nortey Dowuona: Kim Yong-Hwan, nicknamed EDEN, is the producer of this song. He also is the producer of this gentle, guitar led ballad, which has surprisingly well written lyrics that feel gentle, regretful and loving, that display a maturity and nuance that is even allowed to the fabulous Kwon Jin-Ah of Love Scout. If any of this was in “Adrenaline”‘s lyrics, I’d be willing to tolerate the trite, dated sound.  But then I’d have to overlook the second verse which smugly says, “why you trying to be alone? I know you want it!” Yeah, no.
[2]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Big and dumb in an endearing way; I assumed that we lost the technology to make bangers of this calibre around the middle of the last decade, but certain arts will persist throughout history, reoccurring time and time again with more and more obnoxious drops.
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