[Review] Midas Touch – KISS OF LIFE

As mentioned in my last KISS OF LIFE review for Bad News, this is one of the groups we all got to watch out for. And their latest comeback a couple of weeks back at the start of the month proves just that once again. The new single is titled Midas Touch and is featured on the group’s first single album of the same name.

Taking us back to the late 90’s/early ’00s pop era (think Britney Spears) with Midas Touch, KISS OF LIFE delivers another smashing track. The instrumental is just one of the highlights of the song. They touch on a very nostalgic period of pop and hip-hop music video for me. The combination feels very robust and dynamic, with the swinging beats and squirl synths coming together to make a very flirtatious and rousing backing for Midas Touch. The members makes Midas Touch super engaging with their singing and rapping. The way they deliver the verses and pre-choruses felt very elaborate and classy, which boosts up the song to a higher level. As for the choruses, the members infuse a little bit more of that flirty energy into their vocals to make the sing-talk melodies and hooks super catchy and addictive. The combination of the instrumentation and sing-talk in the chorus in Midas Touch‘s chorus is very hard to get out of my head. The bridge was a very nice switch up that feels effortless and clean, with the ‘Brace Brace‘ and usage of whistles being a direct homage to the 90s hip-hop era. The bridge is then followed up with a really clean high note from Belle. The final chorus also sees a small extension to give Midas Touch to fully conclude in a satisfying manner. All of the above is a lot to achieve in such a short period of time, and I agree with the comments that say Midas Touch is a prime example of how a song that spans less that 3 minutes can still feel fulfilling and complete. I think we can move from ‘KISS OF LIFE is a group to watch out for’ to ‘KISS OF LIFE is permanently on my radar’ thanks to Midas Touch.

Midas Touch is a reference towards the Greek mythology of King Midas and how he turned things he touched into gold. But instead of gold, whatever the members touched in the music video turned into stone. Now, there is a reason for that. Turning people into stone represents the grip and charm the members have on these people. And to further to support the idea of turning people into stone, we we actually see some Medusa (the Greek mythological creature that turned whomever that makes eye contact with her into stone) imagery around the members at around the midpoint of the video. So the concept of the video is a very reimagined version of the story of King Midas and Medusa. I really like the elaborate CGI setting they have going on. I also really enjoyed the stunning looks the members’ had donned in the video.

The choreography for this comeback is great! I really like the swinging motions they have going on in the chorus and the routine is super cool to watch as a whole piece. I also like their chemistry with one another on stage. It really makes the whole routine feel cohesive.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10