Released the day after Valentine’s Day, Melody Day is back with aptly-named Kiss on the Lips! Having debuted in 2014, this is the four-membered group’s second mini album and fifth release in total.
When I first listened to their title track “Kiss on the Lips”, I was immediately reminded of Wonder Girls’ “Why So Lonely”, since Melody Day’s song has a similar mix of pop and reggae. With its easy tempo and relaxed opening guitar instrumental, this track has a laid-back quality and is very easy to listen to. The tune and lyrics of the chorus make this song an earworm:
Tinga-ringa-ring, tempting you, ring
Will you come closer to me now?
Tinga-ringa-ring, tempting you, ring
At this moment, Kiss on the lips
I didn’t realise just how catchy the “tinga-ringa-ring” part was, until I was humming it to myself literally everywhere, and bear in mind that I had only listened to this song once!
The thing about “Kiss on the Lips”, however, is that once you listen to the song multiple times in succession like I am doing now, it quickly gets repetitive and boring, regardless of how catchy it is. Part of this may be because the chorus is just repeated too many times — a total of six times, just in case you were wondering. Another part of this may be because the song is rather static. Yes, the track is meant to take on a relaxed mood, but there’s just no excitement in the contours of the melody. It’s a little too similar to “Why So Lonely”, with similar styles and genres and similar arrangement of parts in the song — both have a similar verse-chorus structure and both use the rap section as the bridge. All in all, this is a lukewarm title track for me.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I listened to the opening bits of “Mix and Match” with the “ah-ah-ah-ah” part, I was reminded of Mamamoo’s “You’re the Best”. Granted, Melody Day’s track is in a completely different style with a much slower tempo, but there was a similar feeling. The song reverts back to bubblegum pop — upbeat with a singalong chorus. The lyrics feature your typical topic of being in love:
I think about
Mixing you, Mixing me
When you’re with me, yeah
Everything becomes more special
It’s not a bad song by any means, but it’s also nothing that we haven’t heard before.
“Common Melody” slows down the beat and features strong instrumentals and percussion, veering on the side of the slow pop genre. What I like most about this song is that the members’ vocals are heavily featured. The vocalists have amazing talent, hitting high note after high note especially in the chorus. Their harmonisation is also spot on, with their vocal colours complementing each other.
I was a little weirded out by the strange combination of the choppy series of beats and the smooth vocal melody at the beginning, but once the instrumentals came on, it sort of worked. “Like U” is intriguing to say the least, with its unusual mix of relaxed mid-tempo beat, cute and cheerful melodies, and heavy use of synth beats. You might have thought that would have resulted in a mess, but it surprisingly comes out to be a unique track with its own adorable charm. “Like U” is definitely the most memorable track for me off this album.
“Gift” falls right into the category of powerful, emotional songs. It has your typical string and bass accompaniment with steady percussive beats. Like “Common Melody”, the track is a good opportunity to show off the member’s vocal chops, but again, it’s nothing special.
“You Seem Busy” features Ilhoon of BtoB and is a definite slow jam with elements of R&B. Opening with synth notes, the track features a melancholic melody with breathy and delicate vocals. I especially enjoy the vocal accompaniment in the background during the chorus, which adds a layer of complexity previously unseen in the other songs. Ilhoon is the perfect fit for this song: his rapping style is lazy and relaxed, fitting the slow tempo of the song. This is definitely my favourite song of Kiss on the Lips.
Overall, Melody Day’s Kiss on the Lips isn’t bad, but it’s nothing amazing either. The songs offer a diverse variety of styles to showcase the group’s versatility, but many of the tracks are often lukewarm and don’t really offer anything unique or memorable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good release, but I won’t be putting this album on repeat anytime soon.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
(Images via Viewga Entertainment)
