Purple Kiss Embraces Their Inner Nerd with 4th EP 'Geekyland'

thecinnamonibon

Jun 9

If anyone is going to give me a peso for every time a review I plan on writing gets stuck in the drafts, I'd be totally rich by now. I originally plan wrote this review the day after the album was released but here we are now, almost a year later. Anyway, on to the music.

I had a love-hate relationship with Purple Kiss' 3rd EP called 'memeM' and I kind of had high hopes for their next project in terms of musicality. But, my favorite 4th generation girl group came back and it seems they have established their niche with the quirky horror concept and mood music.

Screenshot from Seoulbeats

Purple Kiss released their 4th EP entitled 'Geekyland' last July 25, merely three months after 'their last EP 'memeM' and everyone is understandably curious about what was in store.

It was a smart decision to continue the creatively crafted lore of being exiled witches from 'memeM'. Through a series of video teasers entitled "story films", Purple Kiss has laid down the groundwork for the concept of 'Geekyland' -- a place where the underdogs and the people shunned by the status quo are welcome.

And here, we have the EP. Admittedly, the teasers raised enough curiosity and hype for me to anticipate the release of the new tracks. Questions arose during the wait: "Is the album going to be cohesive?" "Will it contain synth-heavy tracks?" and so on and so forth. So I did a re-listen months after when the first rush is totally out of my system and here are my thoughts.

Screenshot from Seoulbeats

Those who follow Purple Kiss know that their EPs always come with an intro. This is a short track that establishes the mood for the whole album. 'Intro: Bye Bye Bully' does just that. The track gathers a mixture of sounds that are ominous and foreboding mixed in with a combination of breathy and sharp vocals that acts as the cherry on top. 'Intro: Bye Bye Bully' welcomes the listeners to the chaotic circus of tracks similar to how the Cryptkeeper welcomes viewers into the messy, humorous, and horror-filled mayhem on every episode of Tales From The Crypt.

Enter 'Nerdy', the title track. If the mood of the intro sounds a little bit serious and ominous, this track is a complete 180. 'Nerdy' is whimsical with a unique mix of strings, bass, and synth sounds. While its music is totally enjoyable, I find its lyrics a bit cringy. I believe it has a vision of being an anthem for the outcasts but it ended up short and a little bit patronizing. I truly believe "girl boss" anthems need to retire.

Nevertheless, 'Nerdy', despite being on the experimental side, works because the music compliments Purple Kiss' fantastic vocals. I guess this was what 'memeM' lacked as the title track of the EP of the same name. Even though the anthem did not quite hit (in comparison to, say, Mamamoo's 'Yes I Am'), it celebrated geekdom and the message about accepting one's flaws and weirdness was sent across.

Side note: funny enough, Geekyland was released during the time when the Kim Garam bullying scandal circles the Internet and people thought that this album takes a jab at that especially because of the intro title.

'FireFlower' is a departure from the theme of the first two tracks. However, it was able to sustain the mood and the feel. At first listen, FireFlower entices with the mix of moombahton beat and Arabic strings. Out of all 6 tracks in the EP, FireFlower showcases the vocal maturity of Purple Kiss with all the amazing adlibs -- you can clearly hear all 7 members singing.

After the moombahton heat brought by 'FireFlower' comes 'Can't Stop Dreaming'. Long-time fans of the group may recognize this song from Ireh's debut trailer. It was only fair for everyone to assume that this is going to be an Ireh solo. Imagine the disappointment when it is not. To be fair to the group, the song is still nice but, unfortunately, Ireh's voice was cast to the sidelines. Everyone was not happy, myself included. For this reason, 'Can't Stop Dreaming' is a pass for me. I do not listen to it actively and it doesn't feel special.

Moving forward with 'Love Is Dead', the bassline of this song is superb and can go head-to-head with 'Pretty Psycho'. The mix of whisper-singing into full-blown belting gives listeners a pleasant auditory journey.

'Love Is Dead' picks up the atmosphere of 'Nerdy' while at the same time serving an early 2000s pop feel.

Another side note: I don't know what's up with Purple Kiss' promotion team but the group is promoting this song on music shows -- yep, a year later. It's all good, this song deserves more love anyway.

If there is one thing I look forward to listening to in an EP or an album, it's the ending song. For me, an ending song encompasses all of the feels provided by the earlier tracks and goes off with a bang. As an ending song, it should wrap up the EP or album quite well, leaving the listener on a positive high.

With this in mind, I can say that 'Summer Rain' (stylized as SuMMer RaiN) perfectly wraps up 'Geekyland'. After the rollercoaster ride and craziness from the earlier tracks, 'Summer Rain' provides calm. It is not surprising that this track is the fan favorite.

From the acoustic guitar intro alone to the jazzy vocals, 'Summer Rain' allowed Purple Kiss to tap into their versatility. For RBWA fans, this is also considered a treat since Oneus' RAVN helped in writing the song. 'Summer Rain' is melancholic and will leave you yearning.

Overall, 'Geekyland' is such a pleasant EP. Personally, I think this particular record corrects the experimental mistakes in 'memeM' while maintaining the same personality -- two sides of the same coin if you will.

Unfortunately, this is the last EP where Park Jieun is included and the group continues as 6 for their next EP titled 'Cabin Fever'. Nevertheless, Purple Kiss continues to evolve and become more involved with their music and the creative process of their concepts, etc.

With 'Geekyland', Purple Kiss was able to prove that they can work through the mainstream sound and still offer a lot more.

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