Let’s talk about KIOF lore and my reaction to the album in this blog turned essay!
Kiss of Life made a spot for themselves in my top 5 of fave Kpop groups. The group consists of four members: Julie, Natty, Belle, and Haneul. They debuted on July 5 2023, with the mini-album Kiss of Life (self titled). The name signifies their ambition to “breathe a new life into the music industry with their music”. The girls are involved in every album as writers, composers and creative directing. Especially with the latter the concept of the group started to revolve around the different stages of life, particularly adolescence and young adulthood. This was originally not in the plans! But once the company saw how each member was very different from the other, they let the members take charge and the girls did! For example, the girls chose each other to be in a group with! The idea was that together they would be an allrounder. Now let’s get into their newest release, Lose Yourself, the 3rd mini-album!
Normally I would go in order of the tracks on the album, however that is simply impossible in this scenario. There is a reason why R.E.M. was a pre-release, because it is the start of this chapter in the Kiss of Life book. Things we see in the Get Loud mv are a continuation of the R.E.M. mv.
Also I will talk about the mv’s and the song itself separately, because there are just too many words and I want to keep it an easy read as much as possible.
But first, I want to talk about the album trailer of Lose Yourself. Not only because it is the best album trailer I have ever seen, but also because if you want to get deep into the Kiss of Life lore you really should start with this video.
Lose Yourself – album trailer
In the trailer we see Haneul as a student, Natty as a trainee, Julie doing ballet and training and Belle as a composer and writer with the potential dream of becoming an artist. Everyone’s point of view fascinates me for completely different reasons, but Haneul stuck out to me. In her notebook we see her/the multiverse write down: spread your wings. In an alternative universe we see Haneul with wings. Also the intro lines gave me chills (in a good way!):
You are the universe itself.
You exist in me,
and I exist in you.
당신은 우주 그 자체. 당신은 내 안에 존재하고 있으며,
나는 우주 그 자체인 당신 안에 존재하고 있다.
The way to find my alter ego
나의 또 다른 자아를 찾는 법
lose yourself
몰입
So here is the funny thing, the Korean lines that follow the English lines are direct translations. Except when it comes to the last part. “Lose yourself” is followed by “immersion”. It’s an interesting choice of words, but it does make sense when we take a closer look at R.E.M.
R.E.M. – the music video
Something that was standing out to me while watching the mv was one of the lines in the lyrics that talked about “twin souls”. When looking up the meaning it says: intense, magnetic attraction and connection. Thanks to the album trailer we know that there is some kind of multiverse. Okay, no that was actually the confirmation. By the end of the Sticky mv (last era) is when we met up with Sugarcoat Natty (from the very first era, self titled). This suggested that there are two versions of the Kiss of Life members. In the album trailer we see how the members life would have turned out if they hadn’t become a member of Kiss of Life. But we also see the life they are currently having that is basically their dream life.
Coming back to “twin souls”, in this case it stands for the other life the members could have lived and the one they are currently living and there is still a connection between these two lives.
Now let’s take a closer look at the title of this track: R.E.M. aka REM sleep or Rapid eye movement sleep. During REM sleep, your eyes move around rapidly in different directions, and your brain is active. Your brain activity is even similar to its activity when you’re awake. Dreams typically happen during REM sleep and they feel like reality.
But what does this mean for this song? Well, like I said before, being in Kiss of Life is their dream life. Emphasis on dream, because REM sleep also means “dream sleep”. Living this life and also being successful is rare and can be just as rapidly over like REM sleep that only takes up like 10 minutes every sleeping cycle. I am wondering if this is the meaning of Belle becoming confetti in the end of the Get Loud mv. Because in the scene before we see her falling asleep. And that is after Haneul falls asleep in the R.E.M. mv and she is given a special role in the Get Loud mv. But more on that when we talk about the Get Loud mv.
When watching the R.E.M. mv for the second time I started seeing all the sunflowers that they put in so many scenes that it is actually hilarious that I didn’t notice my favourite flower the first time around. In many Asian cultures the sunflower represents spiritual enlightenment. Meeting their other half, the other version of themselves feel like a spiritual enlightenment
A well known fact is that sunflowers go down when there’s no sun. Haneul also fell asleep right after the eclipse when the moon was blocking the sun. In Belle’s scene the flower pot had four flowers standing upright but in the scene right after Haneul fell asleep, there were only three standing while the other one is kind of already going down. In the scene at the end we see Haneul who is aware of the fact she is dreaming, which is why there’s a close up shot of her in the end zoning out unlike the rest of the members. (More foreshadowing for the Get Loud mv!)
Now our separate paths are alright
We will come together
When twin souls reunite
If we get even deeper into the lyrics and what we see happening on screen it seems that the different versions of themselves come together when twin souls reunite (the sun and moon) during the eclipse. The Haneul we see in the end might be her doppelganger/alter ego who replaced her right after she fell asleep.
But then again, if we are talking about twin souls, the moon itself doesn’t shine, the sun makes the moon shine. But which version of them is the sun or moon? Or doesn’t this have anything to do with it and is Haneul the only one simply aware and she is spreading her wings? She was the one who was picked by the other members to join the group, and maybe this is her moment, especially when we take a look at the Get Loud mv.
In short: the amount of meaning they put in such a chill song is bonkers. I probably haven’t even seen everything!
R.E.M. – the song
I really got deep into the lore, but let’s get into the song itself that feels just as magical. At first I was surprised that they decided to put this song out as a pre-release, since it’s not a song that is most likely to blow up. It is for sure the least likely. But maybe that is the point. That they, the girls and the creative director, first wanted to put out a song with a lot of meaning and also is a great introduction to the album. It is a big risk, but I applaud them for taking this risk.
This song has all the workings of a solid ‘90s R&B-inspired ballad, including an easygoing melody and sturdy, impressive vocals from all four members. Haneuls voice in particular got to shine very bright on this track. It feels very new for the group, since they mostly go for a dynamic energy and sound, but in this scenario it does fit right into their concept and lore. However I wished that the track had a bit more body. The melodies are pretty but dull, repeating often without modulating toward a compelling endpoint. I understand that they want that REM sleep vibe, but I think the production was a bit overdone here. They could have stuck with the vibe, but end with a bang to still get the same effect and make it more memorable exactly like the aftermath of REM sleep.
Get Loud – the music video
Here we go, title track! First up, the set. I love a good use of sets and that they did. They made use of sets we already have seen in the album trailer and I personally like that. Most people don’t watch trailers and that’s a pity since (especially for this album!) you would have missed so much lore. So happy they made use of what was already there and brought in for the title track.
Something I immediately noticed was Haneul popping up everywhere during the music video. The story gets picked up right after R.E.M. and it has become clear that Haneul is taking a big part in the storyline. She is the one who knows, she even covers Belle’s eyes and she lets Belle sleep on her lap. After that scene Belle becomes confetti, does this mean she is now also awake just like Haneul or is there a deeper meaning? Belle looks to be producing in the train even though that’s her stage outfit from the album trailer. For now we can only speculate and wait till the next mv drop when we hopefully receive answers.
Are the other two members going to follow, fall asleep and/or turn into confetti? Well I actually think they already did. Or there is something I am missing, cause I actually thought at first they would be next. But then I watched the two mv’s back to back and even the album trailer. It is Julie who brushes the confetti of her in the trailer and Natty seems to have a different connection to the confetti and it has to do with the saltshaker we see pop up multiple times during the Get Loud mv and Haneul is holding that shaker as well in the R.E.M. mv.
The train takes a significant place in both the album trailer as in the title track. When we check out the dream meaning of trains, it is said that trains may carry a profound spiritual significance, representing the divine guidance or higher purpose that guides the dreamer’s life. Riding a train in a dream may symbolise a spiritual journey or quest for enlightenment. Feels very much like the sunflower symbol, not?
The last thing I would like to talk about are the dancers at the end of this mv, cause if we look up close we see the members twice! During their mv commentary on the KIOF YouTube channel the girls pointed out in this scene that they are dancing with their doppelganger. This kinda confirms my theory that both Julie and Natty are already aware.
Get Loud – the song
The strong verses in this song are talking about how the dream feels so real that it doesn’t feel like a dream anymore, sounds perfect for a song after R.E.M. I get from a company standpoint that you don’t want to start with a ballad as the first song, but to continue the storyline of the girls, that would have been the best way to execute it. Because Get Loud ratchets up the energy and throws back to mid-2000’s R&B/dance sounds. KIOF’s April release Midas Touch hinted at this 2000’s aesthetic, giving the girls an attitude-fueled banger. I do miss that some personality in Get Loud, but nevertheless I’m happy to see the girls continue down this route. The track’s rhythmic guitar and shuffling beat maintain a consistent energy that gives the group a solid backbone to work and groove with. Just get up and dance!
Chemistry
That intro, wow. I did not see that coming. Even though it fits the overall KIOF sound so well. It brings me straight back to their Born to be XX era, but then grown up. It kinda gives me chainsmokers vibes and just like the two songs before this one it feels very nostalgic but
Chemistry is a throwback from the 2010’s instead of the zeros. Honestly I am stunned how this album still somehow feels cohesive, that’s a great thing because they have found their sound which is amazing from just a rookie group.
The melody and the production on this track are the cleanest so far on this album and the voices of the members sound amazing.
Igloo
It has to be said… Why is this song just a little over two minutes? I really dislike this era of music of songs getting so short without reason. If it functions as some kind of bridge from one song to the other, I would have been fine with it. But this makes it feel like a filler, which shouldn’t have been since this song became a fans and members favourite. I wished the team took a bit more time with this song to make it just a little bit longer, cause it is a great song. Those harmonies, Belle’s lower voice and the overall vibe.
Too Many Alex
Another throwback to their first two mini albums, and it also finds its own way to stay fresh. I love how funny the lyrics are with the upbeat sound. The pop funk genre stands out the most after a track like Igloo that feels really cool. The composer is the same one who was behind Bad News, Midas Touch and Sticky so you know this song will be stuck in your head for days to come. I love that the alter ego gets a new interpretation in this song, and it also feels like it is connected to Midas Touch? Oh boy, well let’s not get into the lore even more for this blogpost, haha.
Back To Me
This track together with the next one are my favs! It is a feelgood song in the pop rock genre and we all know that I can’t resist a good pop rock track. This song feels like driving home after a good day or party. There is this summerbreeze, windows down and the night sky filled with stars. It is a straightforward song that I hoped had a bit more surprises when it comes down to production. Then again I do think this will be the perfect encore song for their tour. It definitely already makes me tear up just thinking about hearing this song on their tour if I am lucky enough to get tickets.
No One But Us
Well hello EDM, pop-rock and synth-pop! I like that the main sounds of this album all get wrapped up in the ending song which probably has one of the best productions on this whole album. And don’t even get me started on the anti drop, that made the song feel magical!
In conclusion
The lore is next level, same goes for the creative direction. Now it is up to the production to step up their game. Yes, there is already a KIOF sound which is great, but I do think to keep it up, there is room for improvement. I think it would be a good idea to let the members create more. Belle is incredibly talented as a composer and writer and I would love to see her work even more on future projects and also get the other girls more involved. They are from a small company, so there has to be a faster turnaround, but I hope that with their tour (started last weekend!), will give them space to be able to take the time they need.
To end with a positive note, I do believe this is their best mini album so far. They dared to explore their voices and found new ways to embed that in genres that they as a group are known for.
Love,
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