K-Bops in K-Pop

I’ve been looking forward to this release for ages. I am a serious Reveluv and I feel so bad that I let my girls down and didn’t put this review out the day that Perfect Velvet dropped, but I’m here now and I’m here to do them the justice they deserve.

Peek-A-Boo

Holy sh*t, guys. This song is their best yet. It’s quirky and mildly sinister. The lyrics are innocent enough but the tone of the song has these kind of menacing undertones which are reflected in the MV. The MV, by the way, is a masterpiece. I’ve watched a dozen times since it came out and I will watch it a dozen more before the week is done. I’ll admit I’m drawn to weird girl group comebacks but Red Velvet is always on another level and this song is no exception. Like Rookie, Russian Roulette…and really every one of their other title tracks, this will get stuck in your head, but I promise you–you won’t mind.

Look

After Peek-A-Boo, this was a startling turn. It’s upbeat in an almost 80s-synth-pop type of way. The sound is not unpleasant, just unexpected. In all honesty, it doesn’t quite stand up to the title track and it’s one of those songs I can see myself forgetting, but that may change as time goes on.

I Just

This one has that electronic feel that you get in Look but executed differently. It’s a little more modern and a little less hurried. It’s not quite relaxed enough or hype enough to really be fit neatly into either niche but it’s comforting in a sense. Personally, this one was another not-quite-there track for me.

Kingdom Come

Okay, this is where the album started to pick up for me. The intro is slow and leans more toward soul than the previous tracks. When the chorus kicks in, it really allows their vocals the room to show them for what they are and they do some truly beautiful harmonies. It’s a simple song and doesn’t demand much from you to like it as it’s definitely more R&B.

My Second Date

This had such a strange start, but it quickly shifted into a more pop-y R&B track and then just as quickly darted firmly into weird-only-Red-Velvet-can-pull-this-off territory. The song continues its back and forth until the end, but oddly, I loved it. I will say, though, I’m a sucker for disjointed songs that somehow manage to make their disjointedness work.

Attaboy

This was another track with a very weird beginning. I started making the same face I made when I first heard Bring It from Teen, Age. It’s one of those songs you really have to make yourself like but once you do you can never go back. I have a feeling I’ll end up loving this eventually, but my first listen gave me mixed feelings.

Perfect 10

I loved this from the moment it started. This track has this kind of sexy Jay-Park-but-better feeling that I totally vibed with. It was surprising from Red Velvet because it sounds like those old 90s R&B songs, it was that smooth. Though the song is not explicit per se, it seems like it may heading in that direction.

About Love

This was a little more upbeat and combined the electronic, synth of the first couple of tracks with the syrupy R&B of the later songs in a blend that I can safely say is one of my favorites on the album. It seems like the kind of song that would play in the background of a drama where the two main characters are having a picnic in the summertime; it has that sweetness to it.

Moonlight Melody

I should’ve known going into it that something titled “Moonlight Melody” would be a ballad, but I was still surprised by the piano of the intro. However, I will say that unlike most ballads I actually like this one. Yes, it’s still a little too slow for me but I feel like I could listen to this when it’s chilly and rainy out and I just want to lay in bed and read a book.

Final Thoughts

Red Velvet will always be my queens, my angels of the odd and bizarre, but this album held a lot of expectation for me and I didn’t quite feel like it delivered. I think I was swayed by Peek-A-Boo but I wanted more of that edge that I heard in the title track. The rest of the album felt like they were stepping up a ledge and then quickly backing away. It didn’t embrace everything that Peek-A-Boo promised and I felt a little disappointed, as much as I hate to say it.

That said, I am still so, so in love with the MV for Peek-A-Boo and there are some solid tracks on the album that I feel make it hold up overall.

Let me know what you all think!