Next album review is Red Velvet’s Queendom, the group’s sixth mini-album. It is the group’s first comeback since the release of The ReVe Festival: Finale in 2019, which is headlined by Psycho, which was unfortunately cut short due to a stage accident involving Wendy, which left her and Red Velvet absent as a whole group throughout 2020. Queendom (the mini-album) is headlined by the title track of the same name, both of which was released mid-August of this year.
1. Queendom (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Queendom. (8/10)
2. Pose – Pose seems to find a balance between Red Velvet’s Red and Velvet side (again, do they still categorise their releases between the two?) and reminds me of their past hits. Pose had that quirky element within in its synth pop instrumentation. It made the song lively and quite fun. I also like the bass that we got as part of the background, which gave it depth and an intriguing influence. The smoothness of the vocals, especially in the chorus, and the rapping gave Pose a level of sophistication that aligns with the group’s Velvet side. It isn’t a mind-blowing say, but it was nice overall. (8/10)
3. Knock On Wood – Knock On Wood is another pleasant pop song. The synths in Knock On Wood definitely added to the song, making it more interesting, and added texture to the otherwise plain song. It isn’t an overwhelming amount, allowing the song to achieve that ‘pleasant’ description. The vocals further showcases, especially when the members sing together in the chorus. There was a bit of catchiness in the ‘Knock Knock’ hook. My only gripe about the song is the high pitch ‘Knock Knock’ that Yeri (for the first post-chorus hook) and Irene (for the second post-chorus hook) delivers in the background as an echo of the hook. (8/10)
4. Better Be – I personally liked the direction in which Better Be was going in. The song has this really smooth urban chicness feel to it, which stood out for me. This is thanks to an instrumental. The consistency (which tends to be a sore point for me) worked incredibly well in this song and aided the members to bring out that chicness through their contributions to the song. I really like the husky whispering of the song’s main hook, and the amazingness of the vocals during the verses and choruses. The harmonies also boosts up the song, while the rap-speak was well suited for this song. (9/10)
5. Pushin’ and Pullin’ – We get a bit more oomph in Pushin’ and Pullin’ thanks to the drums and bass. It is what is missing from the album. While it does align itself with the rest of the album, this is my pick for the strongest song on the mini-album. This is simple because of that oomph and that extra serving of vocals we get in Pushin’ and Pullin’. It was their strongest effort yet (on this album), as evident by the ad-libs. The R&B instrumental had a striking factor to it, thanks to the piano and drums. (9/10)
6. Hello, Sunset (다시, 여름) – We have heard sophisticated, pleasant and chic sounds from Red Velvet. And now it is dreamy Red Velvet. I really like how light the group’s vocals, especially when they sing together for the chorus. It was warm and definitely soothing. Instrumentally, the song is quite simple, tapping into the R&B genre, and there isn’t anything special about it. But if you were to take away one thing from Hello, Sunset, it definitely has to be the vocals. (7/10)
Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10
KPOPREVIEWED 