Sherlock was Shinee's first Korean release after a year-and-a-half hiatus since the reissue Hello in October 2010 due to their Japanese debut and promotions in 2011.

[1][2] The choreography for "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is characterized by a distinctive style, and is the work of the choreographer Tony Testa.

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.

[10] "Honesty" was written by member Jonghyun with the help of bandmate Minho, who wrote the rap lyrics, and expresses the group's appreciation towards their fans.

"The Reason" features a guitar solo and strings, while "Alarm Clock" was also written by Jonghyun and tells about a man who wants to wake up from the nightmares of a breakup.

[19] The photoshoot was controversial for its sexual nature,[20] with some fans accusing creative director Min Hee-jin of promoting shotacon.

[21] In an interview with KBS program Entertainment Weekly, Taemin commented that he wanted to look like an adult, but his body resembled that of a child instead.

[29] Hwang Sunup of IZM magazine gave the EP 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the experimental attempt to create the title track "Sherlock" by mixing up "Clue" and "Note" as well as the lyrics for each song.