Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
KISS OF LIFE has slowly but surely become one of my favorite new-gen girl groups, as what’s not to love between their collective star quality, good (and rapidly improving) discography, and even being talented losers. Things seemed to all come together on their last comeback with “Midas Touch”, but for summer they went with a more subtle and trendy sound on “Sticky“, and aimed to declare themselves the new SISTAR in terms of image at least (Hyolyn approved).
That said, my initial impression of “Sticky” wasn’t great*, as for the most part it’s more of a mellow and minimalistic slow burn than the summer anthem type of track I was expecting. However, with repeated listens (especially while working around the house) it became playlist worthy due to being an effortless listen, the “How long before we fall in love?” repetition growing on me, and KISS OF LIFE’s sheer charisma and talent willing this song to relevancy in my brain. I feel like they have to do that more often than they should, but they’re still able to do it nonetheless.
*“Te Quiero“, the B-side, is honestly better.
Meanwhile, the music video certainly shows they have what it takes to be the next “hot girl” group, as the visuals are lump in your throat worthy and the star quality is palpable. It definitely enhances the overall experience, as KISS OF LIFE embody the sexy summer concept perfectly and provide the choreo to match. Honestly, this release seemed like a special one-off event made for both the season and to perform at places like the Waterbomb Festival, but they used that chance to deliver exactly what was necessary.
