"Sherlock" is the fourth EP of South Korean boy group Shinee. The EP consists of seven tracks including the title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" a hybrid remix of the two songs. It was released on March 21, 2012, in South Korea under the seal of the label S.M. Entertainment and distributed by KT Music. The album was made available online worldwide on March 19, 2012. The EP is Shinee's first Korean release after a year and 6 months hiatus.

The album was commercially successful in South Korea—the title track topped the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart with about 135,000 copies sold in the month of March, setting the record for most album sales in March 2012. It also placed 10th on the Billboard Weekly Heatseekers Albums and 5th on the Billboard Weekly World Albums charts respectively.

Sherlock is Shinee's first Korean release after a year and 6 months hiatus since the reissue Hello in October 2010. The EP was physically released on March 21, 2012 but was made available online worldwide on March 19 through online music sites such as Melon and iTunes. The choreography for the title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is characterized by a unique and distinctive style, and is the work of the world-renowned choreographer Tony Testa. The music video for the title song was released on March 22 and was directed by Cho Suhyun and shot in early March at the studios in Namyang-ju. Shinee can be see in an 1800s-like museum acting like detectives working on a case. Girls’ Generation's Jessica makes a special appearance in the music video as a mysterious female lead who offers a decisive clue in figuring out the incident. After its release the music video exceeded one million views in a single day.

The album consists of seven songs in a variety of music colors, including "Stranger", the main theme song of Strangers6 with thrilling sound and melody composed by Kenzie. The song was first released in Japanese, as a bonus track of their debut Japanese album The First. The lead single and title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is a hybrid remix; which means the song consists of two independent songs that are remixed together to create a new style of music. The two songs that were remixed for "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" are "Clue" and "Note". The lyrics describe Sherlock’s solving of a crime through logical "clues" and intuitive "notes". The title song combines the lyrics from the two songs to create a single storyline. "Honestly" is written by member Jonghyun with the help of bandmate Minho who wrote the rap lyrics and expresses the groups appreciation towards the fans unchanged love until now. "The Reason" features a splendid guitar solo and string session. "Alarm Clock" is also written by Jonghyun and tells about a man who wants to wake up from the nightmares of a breakup. Minho participated in rap making.

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