E’Last delivered a great chorus with February’s Thrill, but struggled to form an equally engaging song around it. However, the highlight medley for their new album sounds as if it’s ripped straight from K-pop’s second generation — a hallowed era in my eyes. And, new single Kiss Me Baby takes them in a decidedly funkier direction, replacing guitar angst with dancefloor beats.
This is a welcome transformation, and all the right ingredients are gathered for a standout comeback. Funny enough, Kiss Me Baby‘s prospects are blunted by the exact opposite problem than marred Thrill. The song is consistently enjoyable throughout, with verses and chorus supporting each other nicely. However, it lacks a standout moment that keeps you coming back for more.
On the plus side, Kiss Me Baby‘s groovy is very infectious. I love the combination of bass and percussion, especially when we hit the chorus. There’s a nice drive to the instrumental that incorporates aspects of 80’s synth without tumbling into pastiche. The second verse is especially successful, building upon momentum where most K-pop tracks would pull back for an energy-shifting breakdown. I just wish the producers found a more engaging set of hooks to fill the chorus. The first half aims for “soaring” but falls a little flat, while the repeated “kiss me baby all day, kiss me baby yeah” is so repetitive that it becomes functional rather than freeing. The track is still an overall success, but could have been a total knockout with a few small changes.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
so far my 2nd favorite song of the month
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TW: Mentions of cults and of SA
It’s still concerning that E’LAST’s company (E Entertainment) has yet to comment on the allegations of the company being funded by a cult with ties to their founder being arrested for sexual assault a few years back. This came up because of an investigative TV show called PD’s Note that talks about the cult.
I’m not a big fan of Koreaboo, but they did an article that talks about the cult allegations that you could refer to. There’s also twitter threads and reddit threads that discuss about the cult allegations too if you’re curious.
It’s a shame this particular issue hasn’t been discussed as much but I thought I would like to share some awareness for any readers here.
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Those allegations have tainted the entire comeback for me.
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Yeah same 😦
It doesn’t seem like most (if not all) the members have been aware of the company’s alleged ties to the cult either.
Either way, as a fan of theirs since debut, it’s upsetting to see the members having to keep performing under E Ent that has yet be transparent with the public with the mess they have been in since this year
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Wait whaaaaatttt
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Whoa. Thanks for spreading awareness!
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Are we spreading rumors here? Let’s be careful.✌🏻
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Hi! Spreading rumours is not my intent.
I agree with you that we should be careful in how we share info. I do apologise for not properly sharing any links to backup what I’ve commented in this post. It’s also good to exercise caution when it comes to reading what’s shared online too; I suggest others do the same to fact check what I said too! This is also a good reminder for me too to be careful what I read and share, so thank you, Alroma. ^^
Here’s 1 article that talks about the cult allegations: https://www.koreaboo.com/news/elast-cult-funded-manmin-church-ceo-agency/
Within that article there’s also a video linked where they got their info. That particular video aired on Korean broadcast (MBC), however I cannot find English translations of said video.
Ultimately, it’s up to you (and others) to decide on what to conclude from the available info we got with this issue being a few months old now.
And for anyone else reading that knows any updates on the situation, please do correct me.
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I really like the theatrics/drama of most of their title tracks and the way they show us their vocals on those songs. “Kiss Me Baby” surprised me because it’s nothing like their previous ones, it’s more traditional boy group style. That’s always a win in my books…8/10
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Oh this is very nice and upbeat!
What I’m missing is a little bit of fun. The guys are taking this very seriously, but the beat (in my opinion) warrants fun, drama even in the more sweeping parts. In short, the delivery isn’t matching the energy of the track and it’s dragging the song down for me.
I could imagine BooSeokSoon, for example, taking this track and really giving it the extra oomph it needs in the vocals.
tldr; more energy! more passion!
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I have always loved their unique, lush sound. This sounds like every other boy group, so I am pretty disappointed.
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