KARD made their return with their 8th mini-album, DRIFT, and the title track Touch. It is their first release since their digital single DETOX in December 2024 (which I never got around to reviewing).

It has been just over 2 days since Touch was released, and I have given it multiple listens. But I still don’t get much out of the song. I get a 2000s vibe from the track, and I appreciate the hip-hop, rap-esque sound profile from that era in Touch. SOMIN and JIWOO’s vocals in the pre-choruses were nice, and I liked how they split up the bridge amongst themselves. But it is what Touch doesn’t do well that speaks volumes to me. Touch overall lacks personality and sounds mundane. The instrumental was okay at first, but the percussive elements became too consistent, pulling the song back and making it feel plain. Touch would have benefited from some bombastic highlights or accents within its instrumental, which I felt the song was aiming for but never realised. The hooks were also lacklustre and unmemorable. In retrospect, Touch is a fair song, but not their best.

Touch‘s music video is steamy, which is very much in line with the group’s brand. I do feel like the production value isn’t there for this comeback, but they make do with some sexy scenes. Note that the keyword in the sentence is ‘some’. Some of the dancers were standing around, and weakly body-waving in the background isn’t that enticing. I do feel like the ending, with the extras disappearing and one female character remaining behind with KARD might mean something, but this wasn’t explored well in the video. I wish J.Seph and BM were better utilised in the video. They very much felt like extras until their solo scenes came on, and then they reverted to being extras as soon as we passed their solo moment.

When I watch the performance for Touch, I get two distinct vibes. For the most part, the routine feels restrained and doesn’t look that energetic. However, as soon as we land in the last chorus, the choreography kicks it up a notch, and the members round out the routine with an intense ending.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10