Courtesy of SM Entertainment
Who is Red Velvet?
Red Velvet is a five-member Korean pop girl group that debuted in 2014. On August 1, they will officially hit their ten-year debut anniversary date. The group, known for their concepts and having the best vocals in the game, is outstanding. Debuting under SM Entertainment, they are trained professionals with an incredible catalog of music. Red Velvet’s concept is about the two colors in the name. The “Red” stands for their more upbeat and mostly chaotic-sounding songs. “Velvet” touches on the velvety R&B tracks the group does.
The intense Red Velvet storyline includes the members as part of a cult, being dangerous, killing men and running from the police until they’re caught. Usually, they go for weirder, crazy concepts for the most part, defying the norms of K-pop only having cutesy concepts. After ten years, the members have become a prominent group and successful soloists. Not only are the title tracks exceptional, to me, they have the best b-sides in the Korean pop industry.
The quintuplet group has had the most albums hit #1 on iTunes for a girl group. They extended the record with their latest release, Cosmic, debuting at #1 on its first day of release, June 24, 2024.
“Cosmic” Track Review
“Cosmic” serves as the title track of the mini album with the same title. Produced by Moonshine, who works on a lot of K-pop tracks, the song is airy in the verses with incredible vocals. After the incredible verses, the chorus has an energy shift with incredible strings and synths in the background. Red Velvet is known for their bridges and released one of their best in this song. Wendy, who hits high notes in her sleep, gives you chills in the bridge and truly completes “Cosmic.”
The song is about a cosmic love that they want to dive deeper into. Their stars are lonely and they want someone to be with them through everything while soaring through the solar system. Midsommar is the direct inspiration for the music video with Red Velvet continuing the cult feel where they are in all white with flower crowns and a crowd of girls circling them. It is visually stunning and radiates the cosmic feel that the group sings about.
Cosmic Album Review
Red Velvet are incapable of making a bad album and Cosmic is no different. The six tracks work perfectly and highlight the sheer talent the members have. “Last Drop” is the best b-side release in 2024 with the classic R&B, velvet feel. The sultry track shows off their incredible vocal ranges and tones in the best way possible. Red Velvet as a whole sings the chorus together, blending in harmony with each other with ease. The song is about all of the incredible memories as a group, serving as the reflection song. It is a raw and emotional song talking about their doubts about whether people still find their music interesting after ten years. I appreciate how Red Velvet don’t just make love songs and write about real emotions.
“Night Ride” is the second best in my opinion because it truly feels like pop that is played at night. It sounds like a song that would be perfect for a drive and has an overall tranquil vibe to it. The chorus consists of bright synths against the members all singing together. Instead of giving the choruses to a few people in a song, they work as a group and sing it all together, which is beautiful. This really shows how natural their voices sound together as a group. They truly have one of the best discographies in K-pop history.
