'not perfect but a solid attempt'

perfect velvet; red velvet

[reworked from 2017]

if there’s one thing red velvet is known and loved for it’s their velvet side. the girls this time, gave us an album full of conceptual and musical tastes beloved by fans and causal listeners alike.

01. peekaboo

perfect velvet opens with the ETERNAL CLASSIC 'peek-a-boo’ i have screamed praises of this song since its release. its lasting appeal is evident today (2021) as it sounds just as fresh as when it dropped. red velvet showed us a different side to their velvet persona and it has been my favourite thus far. i absolutely adore songs that are upbeat but have dark lyrics. they heightened the creepiness using the xylophone to give an eerie atmosphere to the music.

02. look

'look' follows after with 80s synth realness. this song focuses heavily on the instrumentation, with vocals serving to compliment the composition. what i really enjoyed is the echo effect they add on "bwa". it further drives the 80s feeling.

03. i just

background vocals, background vocals, background vocals! 'i just' is very simple, but the auto-tuned background vocals especially in the prechorus, made this track prettier than it actually is.

04. kingdom come

we move on to the creme de la creme of 'perfect velvet'; the one and only 'kingdom come'. by placing this song in the middle of the album, every song after it pales significantly in comparison. if 'i just' was driven by background vocals, the core of 'kingdom come' is harmony. red velvel harmonise beautifully on this song. it almost sounds layered, giving it a trippy effect. this is the first song on 'perfect velvet' where vocals are at the forefront. here, the 808 bass is secondary to the the flaunting of vocal mastery. red velvet are telling us they can sing circles around most.

05. my second date

'my second date' mixes the familiar ringtone of an ice cream truck with country-edm melodies. its odd, but still cute nonetheless. would i ever listen to it again? no.

06. attaboy

now i know you're thinking, "if she doesn't really like 'second date', she must hate 'attaboy'". but you know what? the first time i listened to this song it was my fav of the album. i appreciated their twist on trap (though they've got a better handle on trap now, see: 'psycho'). i liked the bridge because it was dark but it didn't sound out of place with the rest of the upbeat nature of the song.

07. perfect 10

'perfect 10' reminds me so much of exo. it's like they ripped a page straight out of the 'EXODUS' textbook. their soft vocals are nice, but i wish it had more power. but i understand the stylistic choice to keep it light since the song is dreamy and relaxed. as usual, the bridge is amazing. another characteristic of sm ent.

08. about love

right off the bat, 'about love' is transporting me to a college rom-com kdrama, where a montage of my first date with my s/o is on screen. however, once the 2nd verse hits, the illusion of young naive love dims. why? the rap. its really not great and its really a shame. if the rap was stronger, this song would be a lot better. nevertheless it is still cute and the guitar solo at the end caps the song off nicely.

09. moonlight melody

i love 'moonlight melody' a lot. if you know me, i love a ballad when done right and they have finished the album off well with this. however, i would have enjoyed this a lot more had the chorus been more explosive. but in the context of the album, its just fine. after all, 'perfect velvet' wasn't explosive at all. it may have felt insincere if they forced an emotional song as the last song.

final comments:

this album is not perfect when compared to the vibrant and pulsing 1st album 'the red', it is lacking. despite that, it is a great first attempt at a full album with their velvet side. it was cohesive and they tried different things that one wouldn't expect to see on a velvet album, but it still worked.

would i listen to the album again?: 100%

best songs: peek-a-boo, kingdom come, moonlight melody, attaboy

rate: 8/10