Kiss Of Life made a notable debut last summer with multiple solo releases leading up to a full group track. It was a mixed bag musically, but offered glimpses of how exciting they might sound in the future. So far, their material hasn’t quite lived up to that promise, but new single Midas Touch rekindles much of that spark.
Right off the bat, I’m captivated by Midas Touch‘s bombastic instrumental. It feels like a mix of the 90’s and the 00’s, harnessing the hip-hop funk of the former and the sharp, angular percussion of the latter. This energy continues throughout the entire track, matching the verve of the performance. It also paints a clear way forward for Kiss Of Life, establishing a brasher, more boisterous sound than many of their peers. They have the vocals to back this up, and I love how Midas Touch allows them to explore a variety of tones.
Even so, Midas Touch still feels like a starting line. While its sound is engaging and fun, I’m not as bowled over by the song’s chorus. The sing-talk hook works fine and is catchy enough, but doesn’t quite live up to the potential of the verses and pre-chorus. I imagine this will all get ironed out in the future if Kiss Of Life continue to pursue this style. Let’s hope that they do!
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
have been replaying this since it was released. im obsessed. but yeah it could use an extra kick somewhere – maybe a more bombastic second chorus?
8 hooks
9 production
9 longevity
9 bias
8.75 overall, might go up to 9 with time… we will see
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also it reminds me a bit of ‘can’t fight the moonlight’ (altho that’s definitely a superior song, but the fact the comparison comes to mind in of itself speaks well of Midas Touch to me)
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And this is why we don’t debut minors, because than we can cunt it up😍❤️
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I don’t want to hate but the minor was freshly 18 when the debuted 🤷🏽♀️
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You do have a good point, kinda scary😃🤧
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You’re telling me the minor was 18? Impossible!
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I wish they would spend time and money as much on the music as they do on the video and visual. I think the song is fine, but it gets far over-shadowed by the visual. (Also why are snakes and cobwebs involved. When I think of the medias touch, I think hands and gold statues.)
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said midas touch with medusa aesthetics
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I guess the team went for spiced-up Greek mythology imagery because it’s sexier/easier to spice up?
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I am going to yes, however what is more sexy than a gold statue of a woman? James Bond had a whole movie poster with a naked gold woman. Missed opportunity here.
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I LOVE it. this and the b-side nailed the early 2000s sound perfectly.
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First time thru i was watching the run time to make sure the song would end with a good final chorus, and glad it did. Great song
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mmm did it though
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it still baffles me how this trend of incredibly short song runtime can gravely affect such good songs like this. It ended way too quick.
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Kiss of Life has had one hell of a strong start, they’re already one of my favorite active girl groups right now. I’m a big fan of this song, even if it still can’t compare to how much I loved their debut EP.
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absolutely love this. reminds me of boa’s earlier material and the cheetah girls !! really do wish the production was beefier in certain areas though
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I’m currently enjoying ‘Midas Touch’, Kiss of Life debut song
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“Shhh” is Kiss of Life’s debut song. This is their second comeback.
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Yes!Yes!Yes! This is the path I want them to go down. No other group is really giving us this sound.
Kiss of life give off the energy that they’re it girls already which I love
Excellent visuals in kpop mvs are nothing new, but I’m actively returning to the video for them
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I would give the production up to 10 for it’s 90/00’s-ish Britney Spear cunty-style instrumental and chorus.
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Woo! I had no idea they had a comeback scheduled!
Nick’s pointed out a resurgence in the Pussycat Dolls sound, and this is a stellar example of that.
Very solid chance this will be my new pump-up track on the way to work.
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Yes! Would love if they leaned fully into the PCD sound.
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After listening to it a few more times, I guess you could say there’s some Ciara?
I like this but I liked Bad News and Nobody a lot, and really liked the early Ariana sound they had going on in Shh
But all of them get to shine in this (love the callbacks to their solos) and it’s good that Haneul got something (a lot) to do this time
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Sometime in a meeting somewhere they messed up the difference between Medusa and Midas lmao.
Banger though, looking at high 8s maybe 9.
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trending
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easy 9 just because it reminds me of the good old days. And the MV is just perfect
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One of the best releases this year already! 8.75 – could’ve easily been a 9+ if the song was maybe 30 seconds longer and had more oomph in the bridge or an instrumental switch up (for reference Toxic by Britney is 3:18 which is perfect)
I also want to mention I’m extremely happy about Haneul finally getting more love, she’s been really shining this CB!)
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