Girl group Laboum recently moved to a new agency, with Kiss Kiss their first release under new management. I would love to see the girls break the dreaded “seven year curse,” which strikes when idol groups’ initial contracts have lapsed. Having debuted back in 2014, they’re already on the right track. But, they’re going to need strong material to keep their name prominent this late into their career. Kiss Kiss is very pleasant, but I wouldn’t call it “strong.”
On the plus side, this soft, melodic sound is something we need more of from girl groups. With GFriend and Lovelyz both disbanding this year (major, super, depressing R.I.P), there aren’t any girl groups left who reliably cater to this musical taste. Even Oh My Girl have transitioned to new sounds. I have a massive soft spot for this style of song, but prefer when it’s given more oomph. Kiss Kiss incorporates so many of the right ingredients. It just needs some spice.
Instead, the track veers closer to being a lullaby. It feels like one of those great Iggy/Youngbae GFriend singles with most of the percussion and drive removed. Some segments also recall vintage Apink, but these groups would have delivered a sleek new jack swing beat or sticky synth hook. Kiss Kiss comes close to offering the latter, as an effervescent synth line runs through parts of the chorus. But despite a strong vocal and engaging climax, the song feels stuck in one gear. A more memorable hook would have helped offset the sleepiness of the instrumental.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Unfortunately disappointing. I still wish the best for them, and hope they come back with something like Firework again!
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It’s so weird seeing how their blowup was handled. You’d think they’d double down on the sound that got them attention. Have they outgrown it? A song like Aalow Aalow (a 2015 obsession of mine) would’ve really hit the spot. Kiss kiss feels really boring, it somehow managed to be more underwhelming than firework. Definitely, my least favorite Laboum track, but I would lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see them, even as a four-piece. I just wish every group that blew up could relesse strong material like brave girls did.
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I feel like brave girls blew up along with their song, while for laboum, people only listened to their song. plus brave girls had an incredible underdog story and obv they have yujeong. I wish laboum came back with stronger material but I don’t think they have the funds to do more, which really, really sucks…
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It is a really nice song, pleasant in a pleasant way. It sounds so old fashioned for a girl group these days, so very 2016 2017 style. They don’t debut this kind of material anymore as its mostly girl crush.
Anyway, I wasn’t in the target demo then, still not now, but I appreciate the sentimentality. I wish them the best of luck.
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I am glad they are forging ahead even with only 4 members. It is a functional song. I do wish they had gone with a more upbeat sound like, Aalow Aalow, Journey to Atlantis, or Shooting Love.
I also see they went back to the MakeStar well for I think a sixth time, though this time wasn’t for funding per se but to buy the album and the chance to do a video call with them.
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G Friend and Lovelyz are both disbanding? Man..
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