After much anticipation, MISAMO’s debut as a standalone subunit has finally arrived. As TWICE’s renowned Japanese trio, the girls have garnered a substantial fanbase, both in terms of music and commercial success. With the release of “Do Not Touch,” their popularity and fan devotion finally comes to a head. And while the track does showcase the girls’ attempt at a darker and more mature sound, it ultimately falls short of delivering the expected impact.
The main problem with Do not touch is that it just doesn’t have anything memorable going for it. With performers of such stature and innate personality, the track just falls flat. The production while undeniably stylish, feels tinny and unfocused, resulting in a less than ideal listening experience. The girls look otherworldly and perform the hell out the track but there just isn’t enough to work with. Every time the track seems as though it’s about to lift off, it falls right back to its weakest instincts and that flimsy percussion.
But the main problem with Do not touch is its hooks. It’s just overall weak songwriting here, giving us hooks that dont sound impressive in the moment nor amount to much in the long run. It’s not catchy enough to work as a trifle and it isn’t striking enough to really match the accompanying visual. So it kind of leaves Do not touch in this weird middle ground. It isn’t a bad song by any means but comes across as the definition of boring. And sometimes that’s the worst place to be in. A unfortunate dud from one of the most anticipated acts of the year.
Verses: 6
Chorus: 6
Production: 7
Performance: 8
Final Rating: 6.75 / 10
KBopped 