Purple Kiss debuted under RBW Entertainment (the home of ONEWE, Mamamoo, KARD, and Oh My Girl) in 2021, with a dark witchy concept and seven members: Goeun, Ireh, Chaein, Dosie, Yuki, Swan, and Jieun (the last of which left due to undisclosed health reasons in 2022).

Here are my credentials: This is actually a redo of one of the first ever reviews (literally #10) I did in late 2023, before the blog even existed. I was a casual fan at the time, having found Purple Kiss through a great cover of Seventeen’s Adore U. I knew their singles, their names and a little about the members of the group, but I’ll be the first to admit that there’s still far more that I don’t know, and far more that I’m open to learning. So, let’s get started!

Single #1: Can We Talk Again

Can We Talk Again isn’t your typical kpop single, not in general and definitely not for a fourth generation kpop group, but then Purple Kiss isn’t your typical group. It exists in a lot of realms of “not quite”: it’s very slow for your typical title track (that’s not marketed as “sexy” that is) but it’s also too fast to exactly be considered a ballad, making it impossible to classify. It’s pretty but also a little meandering, and though I think it needs a better build and climax, I appreciate that it immediately sets them apart from other groups of their time’s brasher girl crush. When I’m in the right mood, I do enjoy it, but I wouldn’t say I’m in the right mood that often.

Single #2: My Heart Skip A Beat

If Can We Talk Again is a gentle plea, My Heart Skip A Beat feels more like a declaration of war. From the second those opening guitars sound, I’m nodding my head. It’s very much a product of its girl-crush era, but the rock elements and the fullness of the chorus (no anti-drop here, folks!) sets it apart in a much appreciated way. The rap works far better here than in Can We Talk Again, not feeling out of left field but instead elevating what’s already there, and the song never loses its momentum. I especially liked the two-part bridge: the sung-through section and the more odd EDM section, which feels more thought through and not like they’re rushing to the end. So when that last chorus does come, it feels earned. Where I have to be in the “right” mood for Can We Talk Again, My Heart Skip A Beat will make me in the right mood the second it plays.

EP #1: Into Violet

After two wildly different beginnings in pre-release singles Can We Talk Again and My Heart Skip A Beat, the middle path of Ponzoña is both Purple Kiss’ official debut. As your resident linguistics nerd, I’m legally obliged to tell you that the song’s name is the Spanish word for poison, and PurKi take that horror element and absolutely run with it.

As a debut should, Ponzoña also sets the template for Purple Kiss’ later title tracks, which often stay in the slowly creeping, oddball “witch-pop” style, which suits them very well. It isn’t a style that’s for everyone, but I think that when it’s done well (as it is here and in a few of their other songs), it can really work. The song reminds me a little bit of Spider by Hoshi, albeit with a less tightly-wound arrangement than that one. Like Spider it goes for a breakdown in place of a bridge, which I’m not a fan of. I think it kills the tension. It doesn’t quite nail the sound that they refine in later titles, but on the whole it’s a remarkably fleshed-out track.

Continuing with our theme of Purple Kiss not quite fitting into the 4th gen kpop landscape, Into Violet isn’t your typical debut EP either. There’s some of your more usual “pop” tracks, like the bouncy Skip Skip or the ballads Period and Hello, but each stand apart, Skip Skip with its backing vocals and delightfully strange instrumental, and Period and Hello with their satisfying builds and excellent harmonizing respectively. I also preferred Can We Talk Again as a b-side on this album, where it fits in very nicely between the more restrained tracks and the more bombastic ones. I quite like this mini-album on the whole; it feels thought out and cohesive yet still showcases their range and talents.

EP #2: Hide and Seek

Zombie is the first Purple Kiss song I ever heard (probably in a compilation video or something like that), and honestly I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction. It starts with a very satirical tone and a much poppier beat than Purple Kiss has done so far, and the abject oddness won me over before the first chorus. And actually, speaking of choruses, this one is a lot of fun: it’s catchy, going into anthemic at points, and while the hook afterward is a little repetitive, I appreciate that it’s kept to a minimum while the song still reaps the benefits. Besides that, it’s unapologetically just…so strange, and its off-kilter humor reminds me a lot of Sunmi’s great MV for You Can’t Sit With Us, right down to the zombies. I really like this one, and I only like it more with time.

From the EP, I enjoyed the build-up and fun-loving energy of Cast Pearls Before Swine and the relaxed bass-heavy sound of So Why. Funnily enough, while I think that Zombie is one of PurKi’s strongest singles, I think this is one of their more forgettable mini-albums. And that’s not to say it’s not good, but it just doesn’t grab my attention.

Single #3: My My

My My isn’t part of an album, but is instead a special Christmas track. Here is where I confess that I’m a bit of a hater; it takes a lot for me to enjoy a holiday song, so I’m already very much biased against this. Look, I don’t really like this one, but I’m not going to judge it too harshly because I feel like that wouldn’t be fair. As songs like this go, it’s really not bad; it just doesn’t feel at all like Purple Kiss. I’m sure I’d enjoy it in that two-week window every year I unironically listen to Christmas music. Otherwise, no.

EP #3: MemeM

MemeM, at first glance, seems like a return to form after My My, not in the least because of the much-appreciated intro Illusion that leads into it, and parts of it follow a usual Purple Kiss template. There are parts of it I really like, like the pre-chorus, the fast-paced sections of the first verse, and especially that great bridge. But. But I just can’t get past that chorus. Not only is it repetitive, not only is it an anti-drop, but the specific way it’s delivered just drives me up the wall, and I have no idea why, but I find it utterly grating on the ears and have to resist the urge to turn the song off every time I hear it.

Unlike with Ponzona, which somewhat has an anti-drop, there’s not enough drive in this and it leaves the song feeling…empty, and not in a way that feels intentional. Somehow, though my opinion on Zombie has improved over time, my opinion on MemeM has just gotten more bitchy. I feel like I’m waving a broom telling kids to get off my lawn, and I am a bit sorry about it. Not enough to ever listen to this song of my own free will, but enough to mention it.

Fortunately, I like the EP much better than the title track. There’s a lot I enjoyed from it, in fact, from the slow burn sound of Oh My Gosh (which definitely has grown on me since last time), to the delightfully ridiculous Pretty Psycho (which would’ve made a better though no less nonsensical title track in my opinion). My hidden gem was Hate Me, Hurt Me, Love Me, which, despite the quiet, almost mournful beginning, it quickly blooms into a very fun pop song, and I admit I went “aww” a few times at the cute special video they released with it.

EP #4: Geekyland

There are few things I enjoy more than a “hey, person who was a bitch to me, I’m pretty great actually and you can’t hurt me anymore” song, and I feel like that describes Nerdy to a T. Nerdy, like Zombie, follows more of a fun-creepy vibe, which I naturally prefer to the sounds of MemeM and even Ponzoña. It’s both a niche that sets them apart from their peers and a style that Purple Kiss pulls off very well. Besides the visuals, which are delightfully strange, I absolutely adore the completely unnecessary, over dramatic classical dance break during the bridge and the sarcastic tone of the verses. It feels like a wink at the audience. Although I wish the choruses had a bit more heft to them, I do still enjoy the song a lot, and it’s ranked towards the top of PurKi’s singles for me.

The Geekyland EP is a very strong mini in general, probably my favorite of Purple Kiss’ works. I could talk your ear off about it for a solid half-hour, but as I don’t have that, I’ll just mention some of my favorite parts. I enjoyed the acoustic guitar-led Summer Rain, the wispy instrumental of Can’t Stop Dreamin’, and the Latin-pop influenced Fireflower, which would have made a great piece on their own. But in my opinion my hidden gem is the cherry on top.

From the start, Love Is Dead’s strong beat, slinky vocals, and rock influences had me tapping my foot along. And it only gets better, becoming a much-appreciated platform for PurKi’s undeniable charisma. This was an instant standout for me, not in the least because it’s not something I’m used to hearing from k-pop. The “love, love, love is dead” hook has been stuck in my head ever since.

This EP is also their last release with 7 members, so it seemed like a good place to leave off for this week. Next time, we’re onto Part 2. Tschüss!