Song Review: Kiss Of Life – Sweat | The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion

When last we heard from Kiss Of Life back in April, they were mining a Y2K sound the way so many of their peers have done over the past few years. Y2K has been one of their musical inspirations since debut, but they’ve found most success with sultrier summer fare like 2024’s Sticky. New single Sweat attempts to replicate that appeal to mixed results.

Right off the bat, Sweat feels like a direct successor to J.Y. Park’s Wet from a couple weeks ago. Obviously Kiss Of Life are very different artists, but the song’s thumping drum beat and repetitive chorus (that just so happens to rhyme with “et”) can’t help but feel a little familiar. Sweat boasts a bit more melody at its core, but is still a repetitive dance track with one main idea.

I’m a fan of the synth blasts that punctuate each line of Sweat‘s chorus. Sure, they’re a bit gimmicky but they add needed texture to the otherwise monotonous groove. The same can be said about the occasional peaks of head voice that break up the hyper-repetitive hook. But apart from these touches, Sweat feels like a bunch of short sentences strung together into a song. It’s just too predictable and plodding to leave much of an effect.

Hooks	7
Production	8
Longevity	8
Bias	7
RATING	7.5

Grade: C

6 thoughts on “Song Review: Kiss Of Life – Sweat”

I liked the production, not sure how the song will age though😭

7.5/10

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I want a JYPapi x Kiss Of Life Performance so bad.

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It’s a bit of a chore to listen to, like they tried very very hard to make a sexy song but it just doesn’t gel together though all the required elements are there.

Also, I am seeing Katseye styling and dancing, without the Katseye ability to sell the shit out of a shitty song. These ladies here are good, but their energy is at a 9 when Katseye would hit 11 or 12.

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The track is decent overall and carries a vibe that reminds me a bit of Tyla’s music. I started to feel a little unengaged due to the lack of production variation, which made the song feel a bit flat throughout, and then the abrupt halftime transition for the bridge unfortunately didn’t land well for me. Stylistically, it sits in a similar soundscape to “(G)I-DLE’s” “Give Me Dat Love,” but that track ended up feeling just as monotonous to my ears. If this is for you, awesome! But this one is ultimately a pass for me; I have heard many similar tracks executed with a bit more passion and variety. Now I feel like taking a nap😴🛌.

Rating: 7.25 (8,7,7,7)

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It seems they want to replicate the success of their past summer hit Sticky, but I am not sure that the song material had the potential. The song had the summer vibe and performance nailed, but I don’t feel entertained much by its repetitive sounds and hook. A pity though I could see some brilliances melodies after the bridge part. I wonder if the entire KPOP industry just decided to have a lackluster summer after their disastrous world cup season.

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