Kai Peaches review: desire comes alive on the singers sophomore release – NME

In Cratylus, the Greek philosopher Plato talks about the reasoning behind the name of Himeros, the Greek God of desire: The name himeros (longing) was given to the stream (rhous) which most draws the soul; for because it flows with a rush (hiemenos) and with a desire for things and thus draws the soul on through the impulse of its flowing, all this power gives it the name of himeros.

Silhouetted against an ethereal background of sultry pink and yellow, flowing with the melody and rhythm of Peaches the title track from his sophomore mini-album Peaches EXOs Kai paints quite the same picture. Since his debut with the boyband in 2011, one thing about Kai has always been clear: his work goes beyond the labels of just singing or dancing he is a performer. To engage with him, even on a superficial level, is to open your senses to his fluvial language, which begins with music and expands outwards, crafting a heady medley of dance, expressions something he excels at and physical descriptions. His is a seductive art, a mastery of the right words, said at the right time in the right tone, all meant to leave one gasping for breath and under his spell.

Of course, we got a glimpse of it on his solo debut last year. Aptly titled Kai (), the mini-album came riddled with one addictive track after another, all painting a picture of Kais multifaceted enigma, at the center of which was a demand to pay attention only to him. He reduced our world to a singular point him on the title track Mmmh, consumed our memories on Amnesia (Cant remember anything before you, he said), and embodied desire itself on Nothing On Me (I want nothing on me but you, he sang).

On Peaches, he expands the world hes created and adds maturity, a streak of danger and just a hint of vulnerability. Just like Kai (), Peaches comes bolstered by a steady R&B background. Its the little touches he adds, however the choppy progression on Vanilla, the soaring chorus on Come In, the hedonistic picture he paints on Domino that make it a work of genius.

If last years Mmmh was an aggressive, forward, titillating call to the dark side, Peaches wraps those cruel intentions in sweet whispers and almost deceptive appreciation. Reveling in being the bad guy, Kai constantly treads the line between love and lust. The possibility of getting your heart broken always looms on the horizon, but his words in your ear placate you enough to accept the outcome. When coupled with the phantasmagorical visuals of the music video where the simplicity of the song becomes entangled with Kais smooth, slick moves and dreamy sets you get the feeling that youre Eve trying to resist the call of the apple on the tree. Or well, the peach, in this case.

The best track on the project, however, is the refrained, choppy, yet intense Vanilla. The years have not been kind to the flavour or the term being termed vanilla with respect to anything, more often than not, is akin to an insult. If there was anyone, however, who could infuse it with charisma and magnetism, its Kais crooning of Vanilla, vanilla, is what Im craving set to choppy bongo beats and languid chord progressions.

As he says, Your soft touch feels good, I keep calling out your name, I savor this sweet moment, one is reminded of the words of Philostratus The Elder: Desire (himeros), the companion of love (eros), so suffuses the eyes that it seems clearly to drip from them.

Kai switches it up immediately after in Domino, hereby dubbed as the sister-track to Reason, from his solo debut. Domino comes in strong right off the gate, booming with bass and sweeping us off our feet with his surprising low-tone. Just like Reason from his 2020 release, Domino paints a picture of excess and hedonism, at the center of which is Kai, beckoning us to get a taste, because once is all it takes for us to collapse like dominoes.

Another surprise on the mini-album is the atmospheric Come In, talking about taking the feeling of love by the horn and boldly proclaiming what you feel. What starts as a groovy, hip-hop based track expands in an atmospheric pre-chorus, before segueing into a refrained, yet heady chorus layered with breathy ad-libs. Pure heroine, we say, and he agrees: I tend to get tird of sweet flavors quickly, Yet somehow, you always feel new.

Kai. Credit: SM Entertainment

The only time the project seems to stumble is on the penultimate track, To Be Honest. On a tracklist filled with little delights, whether through sonic arrangements or Kais own vocal abilities, To Be Honest is comparatively plain, resembling a track one would experiment with while finding their footing rather than one from a fully-evolved musician such as Kai.

Wrapping up this roller-coaster ride in comforting lo-fi is the soft, vulnerable Blue, which feels like ironic, yet honest homecoming. After the bravado and dangerous allure of Domino and Vanilla, Blue becomes a breath of fresh air. As if shedding a skin, Kai takes a moment to be honest about his desires: I want to sink like small dust, I want to stop in time for a moment, Exhaling sighs is hard enough, This darker silence is bad enough. For a performer whose duality is one of K-pops most alluring concepts, dare we say, Blue seems closer to Kim Jong-in than it does to Kai, as if reminding us that underneath the tough exterior is a man willing to be honest with himself in the softer moments.

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Kai Peaches review: desire comes alive on the singers sophomore release - NME