It’s been one step ahead, two steps again with ATEEZ currently. After a promising 2025, a pair of early-2026 tracks succumbed to among the group’s most irritating instincts. That droop continues with new title monitor Unhealthy, which lives as much as its identify.

I imply, this evaluation nearly writes itself, proper? Change the “she’s” in Unhealthy‘s refrain with “it’s” and also you’ve acquired an apt hook for this monitor: “it’s so unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy, unhealthy.” I’m wondering if Unhealthy can be extra charming if we hadn’t already heard one million of those phonk-influenced Okay-pop songs over the previous few years. I see a actuality the place this works as some foolish novelty monitor. We’re not meant to take it severely, proper? However in a yr of Boompalas, and It’s Mes and Acais and Sh-sh-sugar highs I’d actually love the possibility to understand a Okay-pop track in a extra critical method once more. There’s some extent the place this “ironic” enjoyable stops being enjoyable in any respect and begins feeling like an exhausting advertising ploy that cares little about setting up music which may enchantment longer than every week or two.

The unhappy factor is, Unhealthy slowly grows right into a extra dynamic piece because the manufacturing fleshes out for its finale. A monotone repetition of “unhealthy unhealthy unhealthy unhealthy” won’t ever be my thought of a terrific refrain, however so long as the manufacturing compensates for a awful hook (see: RIIZE’s latest grower), I can at the least ignore a track’s shortcomings. Unhealthy‘s first two minutes are hopelessly uninteresting earlier than the instrumental stops spinning its wheels and truly does one thing. The construction of Unhealthy‘s hook positive factors new life right here as nicely, making me marvel why this power couldn’t have pushed a whole track.

Grade: D-