Red Velvet has always showcased their bold “red” concept full of vibrant pop songs, displayed in most of their releases, yet only hinted at their more mature, sophisticated “velvet” side with their EP, The Velvet. After dominating both the Korean Gaon and US Billboard World Albums charts with their colorful “red” concepts in mini-albums Russian Roulette, Rookie, and The Red Summer, the quintet finally revisited their “velvet” side with their second studio album, The Perfect Velvet.
First released in November 2017, The Perfect Velvet debuted at number two on the Gaon album chart and at number one on the Billboard World Albums chart. Now, the group has repackaged the album with three new tracks to create, what they believe, is The Perfect Red Velvet.
Looking at the repackaged album as a whole, The Perfect Red Velvet’s strength lies in the group’s proven versatility, relying not only on their signature pop-infused R&B, but also minimalist hip-hop and trap sounds, future-bass, and nu-disco influences. And, with the addition of the three new songs, the completed track list stacks up as their most diverse and experimental work to date.
The previous title track, “Peek-a-Boo,” off album The Perfect Velvet, had a more colorful vibrancy with its tropical instrumentals and unpredictable ad libs. In contrast, The Perfect Red Velvet's title “Bad Boy,” is more subdued, yet irresistibly refined; its MV is a sexy, noir-esque piece with the most seductive visuals Red Velvet has ever taken on. “Bad Boy," like many of Red Velvet’s “velvet” songs, is influenced by the R&B melodies of the 90s. But the added trap influences, paired with effortlessly smooth vocals, gives the new song a more modern sound. American production team, The Stereotypes, had a hand in “Bad Boy” and also produced two others on the album - “Kingdom Come,” which dives wholeheartedly into that 90s groove, and “Attaboy,” a bold and stylistic instrumental-heavy track.
The second new track, “Time To Love,” is a mid-tempo ballad that sings of the excitement in new love. The members’ vocal performances are stellar, with Seulgi and Wendy owning each chorus until the group crescendos to a beautiful harmonization at the end. This R&B ballad, interestingly, shares a songwriter with“Peek-a-Boo.” Stockholm singer-songwriter, Ellen Berg Tollbom is credited for writing both songs. Red Velvet’s signature diversity not only relies on the five members’ ability to adapt to different genres, but also on the production team’s ability to create musical variety.
A further example, veteran producer Daniel “Obi” Klein and long-time S.M. songwriter, Charli Taft, both contributed to “Perfect 10,” a sophisticated and lush R&B sound that is truly the successor to their “Automatic” (Ice Cream Cake EP, 2015). Klein and Taft also both had a hand in the album’s experimentation with “Look,” a velvety retro-synth track with staccato vocalizations that elevate the beat-driven chorus. The album thoroughly dips into different genres with “Look,” the future-bass dance tune in “I Just,” and the third new song on the album, “All Right,” an up-tempo, nu-disco track that lyrically encourages you to look beyond your worries and embrace the future.
Lyrically, the album focuses mostly on love. It ranges from flirtatious seduction in its title tracks, to giddy excitement in “My Second Date”, to sweet romance in tracks like “About Love” and “Moonlight Melody” (both of which sound like they could be set to an original soundtrack for a hit K-drama series).
While each member has the vocal prowess to stand out, their harmonizations and attitude-infused performances truly deliver a polished package. One critique of the album, and this has been prevalent in their other work as well, is their sing-song rap style that has never really taken any individual track to another level. Rapping obviously isn’t a focal point in their catalog, but if they want to continue dabbling in the trap genre and infusing more hip-hop into their “velvet” tracks, developing their rap style would certainly make them more well-rounded artists.
As a follow-up to their first "red" album, this Perfect Velvet era is absolutely successful in showing the group's smooth and sultry side, and ultimately how versatile Red Velvet can be. The album’s strength lies in its experimentation with genres, overall ambiance of the tracks, and the members’ excellent vocal performances and harmonization. With their consistent chart success and their ever-developing sound, it's a wonder if it's even possible for Red Velvet to produce anything less than perfect.