After about seven months of anticipation, PURPLE KISS finally came back with its fifth EP, “Cabin Fever,” on February 15, 2023. At only 16 minutes in run time, this EP serves as a fierce reminder that PURPLE KISS is one group that will always release a banger with a sound so addictive that you feel like you’ve ascended to heaven.
The lead single, “Sweet Juice,” is a sweet-sounding seduction in your ears accompanied by choreography and outfits that simply entrance you into the music. The music video emulates a constant dark theme, following the six girls in a hotel as they tempt others with the idea of this “sweet juice” that will take them to heaven, encouraging them to simply succumb to the girls’ wants. The creepy and almost thrilling choreography continues to show off the members’ entertainment talents and only elevates the overall performance. Quite simply, you will get hooked on the enticing nature of this track.
The third track on the album, “T4ke,” is a powerful B-side, showing off the beautiful vocals of Swan specifically. Her runs and harmonies with Chaein throughout the song leave chills running up and down your arms as their voices intertwine together. Yuki’s rap is chilling and smooth, pulling together the song in a seamless fashion.
“Autopilot” may, at face value, feel separate from the other tracks with a more upbeat production, but it still fits into the “Cabin Fever” themes of obsession. This particular track, with lines like “I feel like a monster … I’ll never change my mind” and “always on my mind like autopilot” shows what it’s like to fall into such an infatuation with another person that you can never get them out of your head. They live in your mind, literally rent-free, no matter what, to the point of it becoming obsessive and maddening. At the end of the track, Swan’s ringing vocals leave us feeling that resigned state of not being able to control our obsession. “Autopilot” is perhaps the most catchy and repeat-worthy B-side on the EP.
Unlike the previous tracks, “agit” feels more like a celebration of love rather than looking at it all as an obsession. A song where you can hear the smiles in the girl’s vocals, “agit” is “dancing through life” with the one you love. It’s a more pop-style song that finds a love that protects and surrounds you in its warmth and a spark that is “still shining brightly.”
“So Far So Good” is a nice, simple wrap-up song to the EP. The track serves a good purpose: to cool down the album and bring us to a less intense place after the rabbit hole of obsession and love we just fell into. Even the one-minute intro, “Intro: Save Me,” does a wonderful job of setting the tone for the rest of the album, feeling like one is really being affected by ‘cabin fever.’ A sense of going crazy and falling deep into your mind is heightened with the simple repeating lines “la la la la la.”
These 16 minutes of obsession, seduction and love are not enough — listening to the six tracks of “Cabin Fever” will have you craving more at the end.
Once again, PURPLE KISS has not disappointed. Stream “Cabin Fever” on all platforms.
