Ateez, in its new EP "Golden Hour: Part. 2," wants to acknowledge all the love it's been receiving over the years. And the boy band is doing this in its own way.

"The new album captures the various moments of love surrounding Ateez,” member San told reporters during a press conference for the release of the group’s 11th EP, “Golden Hour: Part. 2,” held in southern Seoul on Thursday.


“I believe love comes in many forms, but for this album, we focused especially on the love surrounding oneself.”

Ateez debuted in October 2018 under KQ Entertainment with its first EP, “Treasure EP. 1 : All To Zero.” The eight-member group consists of Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho.

The new album is set for release on Friday at 2 p.m. It’s the boy band’s first album in six months since its 10th EP, “Golden Hour: Part. 1,” was released on May 31.

The “Golden Hour” series captures radiant, shining moments, according to San, and while the new album will do the same, it will also reveal a new side of the group, he says.

“The difference from the previous one will be that while the 10th EP depicted our band moving toward our goals, the 11th EP illustrates the type of love when someone totally devotes one’s heart to something.”

The upcoming album consists of six tracks, including its lead track “Ice On My Teeth,” as well as B-side tracks like “Deep Dive” and “Man On Fire.” Among the six tracks, five of them were written by members Mingi and Hongjoong, Yeosang said.

The concept for the lead track, “Ice On My Teeth,” arose from the band’s reflection on its past activities.

"As we've experienced many of the stages we've always dreamed of, we've been constantly pushing forward, thinking that we need to grow and work harder,” Hongjoong said. “But in the midst of all that, we started to question whether we've truly expressed, recognized and shown our own worth. Looking back, it made us reflect on this."

He added, “So, we thought that to recognize and express our value was the way to cherish the people who supported and loved our team and music, which was the starting point of the song."

Last year, the band stood at numerous renowned international music festivals, such as the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Mawazine in Morocco. The experiences became a great asset in making the new album, according to the members.

"The atmosphere we felt during the festivals, along with the comments and reactions from international fans and new listeners who may not have known us before, naturally influenced us,” Hongjoong said. “I think we were able to incorporate what we learned into our new music naturally.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]