I haven’t written about a new Secret Number track in almost two years. The group has never quite been able to crawl out of nugudom, but that’s not due to a lack of talent. Secret Number became known for their vocals early on and have been at their best when given material that spotlights that skill. However, this new iteration of the group has almost all-new members, making a re-debut almost necessary. Instead, they’ve hung onto a name and branding that had little cachet to begin with.
New single Don’t Touch recalls a few past glories, but it’s missing the special sauce that would make it stand out. In K-pop, that “special sauce” often comes in the form of a robust budget, allowed a group’s material to be polished to a fine sheen. Without the funds necessary to pull major songwriters, Don’t Touch comes across as a nice demo. I appreciate its big dancefloor sound, even if all the samples used are very generic. The song also includes actual singing (a small miracle in today’s climate), though its melodies are clipped and unremarkable.
Given the unique nature of this comeback and the need to reintroduce a new iteration of Secret Number, Don’t Touch just doesn’t meet the moment. The song is perfectly fine but wholly unnecessary and easily gets lost in a sea of more idiosyncratic tracks. I wish this group well, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I like the dance beat, but I feel like the song sounds oddly compressed, like the energy is kept at an 8 instead of a 10. But it’s passable, even if I’d prolly forget about it in a few days time.
7.75 (8, 8, 8, 7) for me.
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Yeah, the vocal sounds at the same time real and ultra-processed, overly EQ’d so there is a metallic sheen to it.
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I hope it ends out well for this (latest batch of) Secret Number ladies. This kind of sound and look and feel – “vibe” is apparently the term to us this year – is very crowded in kpop and even western pop. Its a solid effort, but without a big budget you need to have Style and Attitude in spades, and that is just not this song and this video.
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I don’t hate it. Don’t love it, either. Also, all the choreography lately is the exact same thing and I’m so tiiiiiired of it.
At least it’s mixed competently and they don’t sound papery. A little of the Iggy Azaelia-sounding vocals the way that LSF’s Fearless had whenever that one girl is doing her low-voice thing.
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Got That Boom is still one of my fave kpop songs. Shame they never capitalized on that hit… and clearly never will
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