Debut group Kiss Of Life spent last week unveiling its members, one solo release at a time. The quality of these solos was generally high, increasing expectations for how the four would sound as a complete group. Bye My Neverland (안녕,네버랜드) is the first answer to that question, but the song fizzles more than it shines.
To be fair, I’m not the target audience for this style of song. I’ve never been a fan of these plonky mid-tempos, anchored by choruses that feel more like pithy statements than full-throated pop anthems. Bye My Neverland feels like a copy of many other tracks, held aloft by a satisfying vocal arrangement that cuts through the murky production. The song either need to go full-on punk distortion or pristine, power-ballad sheen. We end up getting something in the middle, which blunts the track’s overall effect. The percussion lands with a thud — too brittle and dull to give Neverland the heft it needs. The chorus aims for catharsis, but carries a sing-song cadence that makes it feel too juvenile. I’m reminded of The Ark’s excellent 2015 single The Light, which treads similar sonic territory in a far more engaging way.
However, Bye My Neverland is yet another pre-release before the main course is finally delivered next week. I’m curious to see how this extended debut roll-out concludes.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Three outta four pre-debut solo releases of their members left me quite enthused, thereby heightening up my expectations for the actual debut. And sigh…another bummer. Another mid-tempo that has no idea what it wants to be. Another disappointment.
God, when is the industry finally gonna stop reminiscing same old dated sounds for a hundred gazillion times more?…A question which will most likely remain without an answer.
7.25 is a bit too high, would rather put this piece of dullness into somewhere around, I guess…high-6’s.
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For those nostalgic for The Ark, I remind you that some members like jANE have been releasing music from time to time. The songs aren’t always to my liking but I desperately hope one of them hits.
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I got so excited by the mention of The Ark that I forgot to comment about the Kiss Of life song. The story they’re trying to build with the MVs seems too cheesy to me even for a youthful audience, I’d rather revisit T-ara’s MVs forever. And the acting in that accident was so…wtf
The song did not inspire me at all, I feel it soulless.
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Another languid tempo moody song that is vastly improved by clicking the 1.25x speed on the youtube settings. There, I fixed it.
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wow!!! i really like this, im a big fan of moody songs like this. can’t wait to add to my playlist
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So far it’s THE rookie girl group of 2023, the quality of their music and MVs is on par with the HYBE groups and I’m crossing fingers for their big debut song not to be a teen crush trainwreck, because it sadly happens quite often in the 4th gen
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