28/8/22
Summer K-pop albums are my favourite type of K-pop albums, as they are the mood boosters I always need in a month of misery and icy rain, but they are also great, happy albums for the year-round. Maybe it’s because I live in a warm climate, but I can always put on a summer album and feel like I’m playing at the beach. And as somebody who starves from summer fatigue (a term I made up myself; When a person misses summer so much they dress up all summery and do summer activities), I think it’s the perfect time to review one, and why not do my favourite?
Summer Magic is how I would describe this album, and for how popular Red Velvet is, I think people tend to sleep on this mini quite a lot. Summer Magic is The Red Summer’s little sister, more cute, more hyper, yet it can slow down when the time’s right just like the 2017 EP. As always, Red Velvet’s vocals stand out on each track, but the production itself shouldn’t go without words. Power Up is one of summer’s most unappreciated songs, it’s as fresh as it was when the track was released. There’s something about its carefree nature which I find appealing. The whole album is carefree honestly, and as someone who eats up bubblegum pop and upbeat songs like it’s dinner, Summer Magic is my favourite Red Velvet album of all time.I even have the physical copy!
Tracklist:
Power Up (single)
With You
Mr. E
Mosquito
Hit That Drum
Blue Lemonade
Bad Boy - English Version (will not review)
Power Up
Written by: KENZIE (KOR)
Digital Editing by: Lee Jin Hong
Engineering by: Yoo Young Jin
Mixing and Recording Engineering by: Jung Eui Seok
Arrangement by: Moonshine
Composition by: Moonshine, Ellen Berg, Cazzi Opeia
Produced by: Moonshine
I love this song. Its video game nature mixed with the summery brightness of the hook was amazing for middle school me, and it’s still amazing today. I remember thinking when listening to this track for the first time, about how it reminded me of the minions and that banana song. Obviously, Power Up is the best version of the banana song. The song is quick and moves from verse to verse. I know I say that about a lot of songs, but I think this record is the best example of a song that knows what it’s doing. The pre chorus deserves appreciation, I like the way it builds towards the chorus and in such little time as well. It’s like the song is so hyper from its own bubblegum pop that Power Up jumps from one section to the next. I love the use of 8-bit sounds, it adds to the already bubblegum sound with a contrast of the soft percussion. Overall, I know many don’t find appreciation in Power Up but I do; This is such a lovable track to listen to if I need to put myself in a good mood.
Hooks: 9
Production: 9
Longevity: 10
Bias: 9
Total: 9.25
With You
Written by: Song Carat, January 8th
Digital Editing by: Jang Wooyoung
Engineering/Recording Engineering by: Lee Ji Hong
Mixing Engineering by: Kim Cheol Sun
Arrangement by: Nermin Harambašić, Hugo Solis, Anne Judith Wik, JINBYJIN
Composition by: Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Hugo Solis, Gionata Caracciolo, JINBYJIN
Produced by: Nermin Harambašić, Hugo Solis, JINBYJIN, Anne Judith Wik
I have my own subjective thoughts on this track, so let me first talk about each section of With You before diving into the biassed shit.
The tropical production had to grow on me, the hook as well. I think I found the chorus too simple; I used to think “Huh? That’s it?” Of course, I came around to liking this song. The chorus and the hook are both addictive. I don’t have much to say about the lyricism, because the chorus is definitely the stand out, not the verses. However, I will say the rap part did take me by surprise when relistening; I forgot it has a rap verse. There isn’t much to say about the tropical (tropical ballad maybe?) production: It’s calming. I enjoy the percussion in the chorus, they sound bombastic, but they aren’t loud. The vocals are also a stand out. I think Yeri is the member to shine the most on With You, it’s great to hear her hit the high notes!
Okay, now, hear me out: With You, to me, is a Christmas song. I live Down Under, so Christmas is in Summer for me. Having a summer Christmas song just brings me joy. And yes, I’m saying this because they mention Christmas like six times. Anything to do with Christmas in summer is a song I repeat daily. This review may be a bit low compared to the tracks on Summer Magic, but know With You is on blast when December rolls around. Even before then! Maybe…October?
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 8.5
Mr. E
Written by: KENZIE (KOR)
Digital Editing: Jang Wooyoung
Engineering/Recording Engineering by: Lee Min Gyu
Mixing Engineering: Jung Eui Seok
Arrangement by: Trinity (Production team)
Composition by: Trinity (Production team), KENZIE (KOR), Courtney Jenaé
Production by: Trinity (Production team)
If Summer Magic is The Red Summer’s little sister, then Mr. E is the little sister of Zoo. While both have animalistic influences (Mr. E uses the sounds of birds chirping and Zoo is pretty obvious), Zoo is more tropical and Mr. E is more of an electronic nature. The best aspect of this track is Red Velvet; Their performance elevates the song. I don’t find anyone better to do the vocals. I find the verses okay, and the pre chorus is good as well, but I find the chorus to be amazing. Maybe it’s how the production just goes all out instead of restraining itself like in the verses, or how energising the lyricism is, but there’s something about the chorus that I like. As said before, I think the production could be better in the verses, but I do like it builds tension in the pre chorus. I think Mr. E is well rounded. Though not the best song on the album, it’s definitely enjoyable.
Hooks: 8
Production: 9
Longevity: 9
Bias: 9
Total: 8.75
Mosquito
Written by: Seo ji Eun
Digital Editing/Recording Engineering by: Woo Young Jang
Mixing Engineering by: Kim Cheol Sun
Engineering by: Lee Ji Hong
Arrangement by: Teddy Riley
Composition by: Teddy Riley, Lee Hyeon Seung, DOM, Daniel “Obi” Klein, Ylva Dimberg
Produced by: Teddy Riley
I don’t know how to express my thoughts of Mosquito. I enjoy the song, I just don’t have the words.
I enjoy the structure of Mosquito. I like it when K-pop flips the structure of a pop song on its head. Though this just had a one added first to it, I find that endearing. I love the verses of mosquito; How they play off each other is just nicely put. The production itself reminds me of old school hip-hop I listen to from time to time, but with a K-pop twist. I like the hip-hop beat and the orchestral jumps (I know there’s a different, technical word for it!)The latter always surprises me. The chorus definitely had to grow on me, however I am content with it now, and the “zezuzezuzezu” is an earworm I get weekly. Mosquito is a song I can fuck with, though it has dropped on my rankings.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8.25
Hit That Drum
Written by: Misfit
Digital Editing by: Jang Wooyoung
Recording Engineering by: Lee Ji Hong, Lee Min Gyu
Mixing Engineering by: Nam Koong Jin
Arrangement by: Ronny Svendsen, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Blair MacKichan
Composition by: Ronny Svendsen, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik, Blair MacKichan
Produced by: Ronny Svendsen, Nermin Harambašić, Anne Judith Wik & Blair MacKichan
Hit That Drum is my most played Spotify track of all time.
I love the fanfare drums at the start and the horns that blow during the entire song. The verse starts with a climb to high notes sung by Wendy, and she does an amazing job on this track. The pre chorus involves two members singing as the horns continue blowing with all their might. This builds up to the chorus which has chanting. The sequence of the chorus screams of a stadium anthem; The electronic rhythm in the background adds to the festive nature of the sound. The bridge is my favourite part, having Wendy belt for 10 seconds adds meaning to my life! Hit That Drum is such a fun song to dance to, and the random adlibs of “yeah” and “woo” just excellerate the track into its full glory. I love stadium anthems, from Hit by Seventeen to Power by Exo, stadium anthems are a sound the k-pop industry should produce more of. So I love hearing Hit That Drum, it’s one of my favourite songs from Red Velvet, maybe it’s my top song even!
Hooks: 10
Production: 10
Longevity: 10
Bias: 9
Total: 9.75
Blue Lemonade
Written by: Seo Ji Eum
Digital Editing by: Lee Ju Hyung
Engineering by: Lee Ji Hong
Recording Engineering by: Jung Eui Seok, Lee Ju Hyung
Mixing Engineering by: Jay-p Gu
Arrangement by: NOPARI
Composition by: Lee Ju Hyun, NOPARI, Cazzi Opeia
Produced by: NOPARI
I love bubblegum pop. It’s one of my favourite sub-genres of pop, and Red Velvet does it quite well; It’s shown through Blue Lemonade. The chorus is so sweet and relaxing, the vocals of the members add to the softness of this track. The verses are okay, though I don’t think cute is the right word, I like how cute it is. The pre chorus gets the job done as well; As I said before with the chorus, I like how sweet the lines are. The production is solid, though it doesn’t exceed. It stays restrained until the final minute for me. I wish there was push during the many hooks, but at least it comes back during the final hook, though be it very short. Though the bridge is nice as well, it’s too short. I think that’s the problem of Blue Lemonade, despite flowing quite nicely, I wish the verses were just a bit longer. With that being said, I still like this song; though the record does have its problems, I can fuck with this song.
Hooks: 8
Production: 8
Longevity: 8
Bias: 9
Total: 8.25
Total: 8.8/10
Credit to TheBiasList for rating system.
