Listeners Would Be ‘Psycho’ to Miss the New Red Velvet Album

Photo Courtesy of "mduangdara" on Flickr

Red Velvet attended KCON LA on Aug. 2, 2015, a year after its debut. Since the beginning of its career, the group has been on the rise, eventually leading to the success of the new album, “The ReVe Festival: Finale.”

Dheeksha Bhima Reddy and Cara Chan
February 18, 2020

Red Velvet, a five-member K-pop girl group consisting of leader Irene as well as main dancer Seulgi, rapper Joy, main vocalist Wendy and vocalist Yeri, released its latest repackaged album “The ReVe Festival: Finale” on Dec. 23, 2019. The album includes songs from the previous two albums “The ReVe Festival: Day 1” and “The ReVe Festival: Day 2,” as well as new songs. All in all, it was acceptable overall, but not especially remarkable. However, the experimentation with different styles of music stood out throughout the album, especially during the title track, “Psycho.” The following review analyzes a few personal favorites from this “ReVe”lutionary album.

“Psycho”

“Psycho” was the highly anticipated title track as it appeared on the comeback teaser on Dec. 22, 2019. The girls express a story about unstable love and how they are not meant to be. The track also focuses heavily on instrumentals and background music. The music seems at the forefront, and the vocals are simply complementing the instrumentals. Nonetheless, this track showcases high vocal capabilities as they flawlessly switch between their head voice and falsetto. Aside from the vocals, the music video has a vintage feel and simple choreography, which mostly focused on their hands. With more than 75 million views on YouTube, “Psycho” has proven to be a favorite for many, even if the repetitive chorus frustratingly pops into our heads during class every now and then.

“In & Out”

“In & Out” is an upbeat song with a mix of house and trap music. It recaptures the story of a young couple falling “in and out” of love despite being made for each other. The up-tempo, hard-hitting beats paired with the singers’ high vocals make listeners feel as if they have been teleported into a world of dark magic and wizardry. However, this feeling completely changes as the song approaches its main chorus, which is more bright and festive. The repetitiveness of the chorus adds to the song’s overall charm, making it catchy and appealing.

“Remember Forever”

“Remember Forever” differs from the rest of the album’s up-tempo music and harsh love themes. The song starts with a slow keyboard backtrack but gradually leads into the breathy, high vocals that the girls excel at. This sentimental ballad narrates a lovely tale about the innocence of one’s first love and finally being noticed by one’s crush. Wendy’s velvety but high-pitched vocals blend with the background, yet manage to outshine all other elements in a remarkable way. However, this song could pester fans who are looking for more consistency with the lyric distribution since Wendy gets around 50% of all lines.

“Ladies Night”

“Ladies Night” is a cheerful, light-hearted song featuring heavy group vocals that emphasizes the importance of hanging out with friends. This contrasts with the common theme of the album: young love. It has a very cinematic quality to it, especially when the trumpets play in the background. Listeners envision a night party on the beach, or perhaps a cruise, where audiences feel as if they are having fun with friends and reminiscing on happy memories. This track is perfect for those looking for a fun party song, or simply just to bring a smile to your face.