ATEEZ’s “Bad” – ATEEZ’s new title track “Bad” leans into phonk-flavored repetition and a chorus that feels built for a quick laugh. For the first two minutes, it plays like a misfire—then, near the end, the production finally sharpens the track’s momentum. The result is a son
When ATEEZ drop a new title track and it lives up to its own name. you can feel the bait-and-swap happening before the chorus even lands. “Bad” is built around a simple. catchy idea: in the chorus. replace “she’s” with “it’s. ” and the hook becomes “it’s so bad. bad. bad. bad. bad.” It’s a wink—like the song is daring you to laugh at how relentlessly it keeps saying it.
But “Bad” doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. This kind of phonk-influenced K-pop has been circulating for years. and the reviewer argues it’s already been heard “a million” times. The problem isn’t just repetition—it’s the sense that the track may only be aiming for a quick. ironic burst rather than music that holds up beyond the first week or two. In a year packed with similarly playful moments like “Boompalas. ” “It’s Mes. ” and “Acais. ” as well as “Sh-sh-sugar highs. ” the review says the chance to hear K-pop treated with more serious attention feels overdue.
That tension—between fun meant to be temporary and the feeling that it’s being marketed rather than composed—hangs over the song from the start. The track’s first two minutes, in the reviewer’s view, are “hopelessly dull.” Then something changes. The instrumental stops “spinning its wheels,” and the production finally starts doing real work. The structure of the hook also gains new life there. making the reviewer wonder why that kind of momentum couldn’t have powered the entire song instead of arriving only near the end.
Still, the chorus itself doesn’t fully earn its own hype. A monotone repetition of “bad bad bad bad” is described as never being the reviewer’s idea of a great chorus. The one concession is that the production helps cover the gap. The review even compares the payoff to a “grower” effect referenced through RIIZE’s recent grower—an acknowledgement that sometimes production and momentum can make a weak center less painful.
The numbers in the review read like a verdict: Hooks 5, Production 7, Longevity 6, Bias 6, with a final rating of 6 and a Grade: D-.
By the time “Bad” finds its sharper rhythm, the damage is already done for the reviewer’s first impression. The track slowly becomes more dynamic in its finale—but not fast enough to erase the feeling that the song was designed to be a joke first. and a complete musical statement second. Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q_S27LbNKU.
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