Like agency seniors Mamamoo, girl group Purple Kiss are building toward their upcoming debut with a series of pre-releases. This is a great way to showcase the group’s skills without confining them to one box, and the two songs we’ve now heard certainly display versatility. Last year’s My Heart Skips A Beat painted them as cool rockers, while new single Can We Talk Again delivers a more subdued r&b sound.
Given their agency’s history, I imagine this will be closer to Purple Kiss’s eventual style, though I hope they’ll find more dynamic songs to harness it. Can We Talk Again is the definition of a solid track without any surprises. As expected from RBW, the girls pack a powerful set of vocals, and their charisma really drives the track. The mid-tempo beat has a nice throwback appeal, setting firm foundation for the group to bring flair to their performance.
However, I wish that Can We Talk Again opted for a more varied chorus. The repetitive structure lends the track a pleading quality, which supports the lyrical themes well. I understand why the songwriters took this approach, but it threatens to make the song feel too lockstep. The track could really do with one climactic moment – a switch-up of some sort. I think a killer bridge might have brought this to another level. Instead, you can easily predict where Can We Talk Again is going at every turn. That doesn’t make it unsatisfying, but it feels like a missed opportunity for ambition and emotional catharsis.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
This is like a flashback to every UK girl group ever, doing a “sultry” R&B mid-tempo. It’s OK, but adds nothing to the usual fare.
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Spot on- feel like I’ve heard this type of song a few times over.
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After watching the video, my response to the question “Can we talk again?” is “Hell no, — you’re gonna lock me in a basement and break my knees.”
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I love it, I would rather Mamamoo release stuff like this than stuff like AYA. This is like a mix of trio Ladies Code + early Mamamoo + 9muses Remember. If they keep this sound it would be cool to see different kinds of beats each comeback, a more EDM take like 9muses remember for example
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I’m going to give the, “Yep, I dig it!” nod to this release. Part of that could be a slanted interest in liking it more than its own individual merits; I’ll admit that much. I was waiting for months for Purple Kiss to finally debut. When they posted the individual members teasers six months ago, I was of the impression that the debut was around the corner; it wasn’t. Then they released “My Heart Skips A Beat” and.. ..my heart skipped a beat, but not in the good way.
Given my own personal hype over them, it’s fair to chalk up my approval of “Can We Talk Again” to a pinch of fan blindness and a dash of debut hype, but I don’t really think that’s the real reason. I think I like it because.. ..it’s a good song. Is it overloaded with flourishes and layers and clever bleeps and bloops? Nope. It’s fairly simplistic and sometimes that’s all a song needs to be. I love the individual voices. There’s some evocative tones in there. Given my familiarity with each member, I can pick out each girl without watching the video. It’s those voices that drew me in.
Nick recently reviewed Chung Ha’s “X” and gave it a “comfortable” rating. Personally, I loved it. It was uncomplicated and clean. Chung Ha sang in a way I’ve never heard before and the hooks sank in, barbs and all. When I first heard it, I got this eerie sensation like I was listening to a lost Beatles track from their experimental period. The harmonies? Vocal melody? I don’t know. Either way, it had a way of pulling me in and imprinting on me. Purple Kiss “Can We Talk Again” does the same thing to me.
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