Red Velvet – ‘The Red’ Album Review

S.M. seems to be focusing a good deal on their rookie girl group Red Velvet recently. The girls return with their first full album The Red only a few months after their mini album Ice Cream Cake from earlier this year, further solidifying their new gained popularity. With ten brand new tracks experimenting different music styles, Red Velvet makes sure that you’ll find at least a few if not most of the songs on The Red addicting to your ears.

Track 1 – Dumb Dumb

Dumb Dumb, perhaps inspired by Bang Bang, immediately grabs my attention with a chant-like groovy hook that’s weaved through-out the song. The high-energy tempo is clean-cut and easy to catch onto, but switches speeds a few times between verses, raps, and chorus so as to not make the song sound repetitive. Dumb Dumb‘s fun lyrics describes how a girl turns into a silly mess in front of the person she likes and cleverly adds in a rap verse with nearly every famous Michael Jackson single to express her feelings towards her crush.

Track 2 – Huff n Puff

Energetic snare drum beats mixed in with low-pitched synths makes Huff n Puff feel like a powerful girl scout marching song. Yet the lyrics talks about being lost in a dreamy world just like Alice in Wonderland. The song makes a strong impression but the chorus can feel a bit repetitive over time due to its rhythmic marching beats. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of an f(x) song during their Pink Tape era.

Track 3 – Campfire

Electric guitar and bass are the opener and supporting backbones of this much smoother mid-tempo song talking about love by a campfire. The verses of Campfire have a nice R&B groove to them. But unfortunately after a brief interjection of chanting pre-verse, the main chorus feels like a bit of letdown with rather monotonous and flat melodies.

Track 4 – Red Dress

Red Dress opens with upbeat clappings and fast rhythmic tempo. The pre-verse is a nice build-up to the chorus which unexpectedly turns into a slower and more sultry melody. The song presents an interesting contrast between the verses and chorus, smartly echoing the transition highlighted in the lyrics from being seen as a little kid to a seductive woman after putting on a red dress.

Track 5 – Oh Boy

This one’s more of a straightforward R&B dance song — easy on the ears with a swingy and memorable tune. Oh Boy reminds of a SNSD song where the Red Velvet girls really showcase their fantastic vocals with layers of harmonies and ad libbing. It’s hands down my favorite track on The Red as I quickly hum along envisioning this dreamy boy they’re gushing over.

Track 6 – Lady’s Room

Lady’s Room immediately dubs itself as one of those happy, sweet, girly songs from the beginning. Sure enough, the song is a tribute to the friendship between girls. As such, it’s got a fairly simple progression. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of sugary songs because they grow cheesy on me quickly and Lady’s Room is no exception.

Track 7 – Time Slip

Features a low-pitched steady synths backbeat and a variety of rapped or chanted verses, Time Slip feels like a nod to 90’s hip hop — a.k.a my kind of song. Just like Red Velvet is singing that they don’t want to wake up from a wonderful dream, I’m equally content staying in this retro clubby track to occasionally bust a move or two.

Track 8 – Don’t U Wait No More

Don’t U Wait No More is like a TaeTiSeo styled R&B soul song with a fun twist. The girls are teasing the boy to stop hesitating and come on closer. Notably, the layers of seemingly discordant harmonies and sliding scale ad libbing somehow all add up to sound good together. The chorus’s constant repetition of a single line of lyric does wear on me though.

Track 9 – Day 1

Bass, piano, and Red Velvet’s smooth voices make up this sweet and playful song expressing the hearts of a young girl in love. Listening to Day 1 feels like watching a kdrama scene of her first date, full of excitement and happiness. Again, it’s a bit too lovey dovey for my taste.

Track 10 – Cool World

Like the title, this is a song about a brighter and better world when you learn to love yourself. It’s a classic electro pop dance beat paired with lofty and airy power vocals that give a sense of positivity and hope. Besides the catchy chorus, the best part of Cool World is an unusual synths mixed in towards the end that sounds like a jingle from a video game.

What Do You Think?

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