The Red (album)

The Red
Studio album by Red Velvet
Released September 9, 2015
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length 33:05
Language Korean
Label SM Entertainment
Producer
Red Velvet chronology
Ice Cream Cake
(2015)Ice Cream Cake2015		 The Red
(2015)		 The Velvet
(2016)The Velvet2016
Singles from The Red
  1. "Dumb Dumb"
    Released: September 9, 2015
Music video
"Dumb Dumb" on YouTube

The Red is the debut studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released on September 9, 2015 by SM Entertainment and distributed by KT Music. The album concept focuses solely on the group's "Red" image stemming from the group's name and concept, where "Red" shows their vivid and bold image, where their brighter and bubblier songs fall under while the "Velvet" half is their more mature and sophisticated side. A follow-up to the album called The Velvet was released in the first half of 2016, composed of mostly R&B tracks and ballads.

The album was a commercial success, with the group topping the Billboard World Albums Chart for the first time, and also debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart in South Korea. It also peaked at number twenty-four on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and was included in their 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015.

Background and release

S.M. Entertainment announced that Red Velvet would be returning with their first full album in early September. On September 3, a series of image teasers were revealed on the group's official Instagram account, along with the album's ten-song track list. On September 4, the company announced that the full album would be released at midnight on September 9, with "Dumb Dumb" as the title track.[1][2]

Following the group's concept of promoting with both "Red" and "Velvet" images, The Red will focus on their vivid and strong "Red" image. While talking about the album at a press conference on September 8, the members and the company also hinted at The Velvet album that will follow The Red, although an S.M. Entertainment representative explained that nothing has been scheduled in particular yet.[3][4] However, it means that SM has something in mind for the near future when they say "nothing is scheduled yet" or "nothing is scheduled in particular." Moreover, Wendy later confirmed on an interview that the album is "coming after" The Red.[5]

The title track "Dumb Dumb" is an uptempo pop dance track with a groovy beat and addictive hook. The lyrics describe the feelings of a girl who feels like she can't help but act awkwardly around the person she likes. The music video for "Dumb Dumb" was released on September 8 while the full album was released on September 9.[6]

Promotions

The group held a "comeback showcase" where they performed "Dumb Dumb."[7] They also appeared on a 5-episode live broadcast through the Naver V-Live app called 오방만족! (Satisfying five senses!) Red vs Velvet where they discussed the various concepts of their new album. The first episode was broadcast on September 7. The 2nd episode was broadcast on September 8, with SHINee's Key as the MC.[8]

The group made their 'comeback stage' on M! Countdown on September 10, followed by performances on Music Bank, Show! Music Core and Inkigayo. Besides "Dumb Dumb," they also performed "Huff 'n' Puff" on the shows.[9]

Composition

"Dumb Dumb" is described as an uptempo dance track with an infectious hook and groovy beat. It is composed by British producers LDN Noise, who have previously written songs for fellow S.M. Entertainment artists SHINee and TVXQ.The lyrics describes a girl's awkwardness in front of the object of her affection, comparing herself to a mannequin.[10] "Huff 'n' Puff" is described as a pop dance song that sings about waking up from a dream and coming back to reality, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.[11] "Campfire" is described as an R&B pop song that has an ear-catching rhythmical guitar intro.

The lyrics of "Red Dress" tell a story in which a girl wears a red dress and clumsily but slyly tempts a man who treats her only as a child, while the song "Oh Boy", which is a soulful R&B pop song, showcases the singing ability of the members. "Lady's Room" is an R&B based pop song about the sisterhood between girls and the happy moments they share.

The album also features "Time Slip", which is a hip-hop based R&B song with lyrics that describe the laziness and listlessness that one feels while going back and forth between dream and reality in the morning, "Don't U Wait No More" which revolves around a girl trying to get closer to her hesitant boyfriend, "Day 1" which describes the feeling of new love by combining bass and piano with the vocals of the members, and "Cool World" which is a synth-pop song with hopeful lyrics that tell the listener to love their uniqueness and quirks. All 10 songs represent the bright, bold "Red" side of the group.

Reception

The Red topped Billboard's World Albums Chart, their highest to date, and peaked at number twenty-four on its Heatseekers Albums chart. "Dumb Dumb" also peaked at number three on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, making it the best-selling K-pop song in America of the week.[12] The album debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart, with "Dumb Dumb" at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. The other nine tracks from the album also charted.[13]

The music video for "Dumb Dumb" debuted at #1 on YinYueTai's V-Chart Korea.[14] It is also the most viewed k-pop video in America and worldwide for the month of September.[15] Dazed Digital named "Dumb Dumb" their top K-pop track of 2015.[16] In December, "Dumb Dumb" was included in Rolling Stone's '10 Best Music Videos of 2015'.[17]

Billboard's Jeff Benjamin called The Red "an impressive, solid debut album" and stated that it "indicates big things for the act that needs to follow in the footsteps of their beloved female label mates Girls' Generation and f(x)."[18] while Noisey stated that it's "perhaps the strongest top-to-bottom K-pop album to date," praising its "daredevil song forms, harmonies richer and smarter than anything on western dials in a quarter-century, and nonstop virtuoso songsmith hooks—without so much as a single English inflection out of place."[19] Billboard also included it in their '10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015' and called it "one of the year's most enjoyable and experimental pop LPs."[20]

Billboard put "Dumb Dumb" at #70 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[21]

Track listing

The Red
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Dumb Dumb"Seo Ji-eum (Jam Factory), Kim Dong-hyunLDN Noise, Deanna Dellacioppa, Taylor Parks, Ryan S. Jhun3:22
2."Huff n Puff"KenzieAlex G, Anne Preven, Will Gray, Jaden Michaels3:01
3."Campfire"Jo Yun-kyeongLDN Noise, Taylor Parks, Denzil "DR" Remedios, Ryan S. Jhun3:16
4."Red Dress"Jo Yun-kyeongNermin Harambasic, Jin Suk Choi, Charite Viken, LDN Noise, Rodnae "Chikk" Bell, Ryan S. Jhun3:02
5."Oh Boy"Goo Tae-wooHerbie Crichlow, Lauren Dyson, Jin Suk Choi, LDN Noise3:08
6."Lady's Room"KenzieKenzie, Daniel "Obi" Klein, Oliver McEwan, Ylva Dimberg3:15
7."Time Slip"Moon Du-riDaniel "Obi" Klein, Johannes "Josh" Jorgensen, Charli Taft, Jinbo3:39
8."Don't U Wait No More"100%Seo-jeong (Jam Factory)Dwayne Abernathy Jr., (Dem Jointz) Taylor Parks, Ryan S. Jhun2:51
9."Day 1"Hwang-hyun (MonoTree)Hwang-hyun (MonoTree)3:26
10."Cool World"Im Seo-hyunDaniel "Obi" Klein, Marcus Winther-John, Andy Love4:05
Total length:33:13

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Worldwide[28] September 9, 2015 Digital download SM Entertainment
South Korea CD, digital download SM Entertainment, KT Music

References

  1. ↑ "Red Velvet Reveals Track List for Their First Album "Red" Through Fun Instagram Surprise". Soompi. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ Lee So-dam (September 4, 2015). "레드벨벳 9월9일 컴백 확정…SM 하반기 첫주자 [스포츠투데이]". Sports Today (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ Lee Seung-rok (September 8, 2015). "레드벨벳 "첫 정규앨범 '더 레드' 발표, 떨리고 설렌다" 소감". My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ Park Sojung (September 8, 2015). "Red Velvet wants to define color red for you". Yonhap News. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  5. ↑ "[스타캐스트] "덤도 말고 한가위"…웬디, 풍성한 추석인사". Naver (in Korean). September 27, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  6. ↑ Lee Nancy (September 9, 2015). "Red Velvet to Return with Full-Length Album ′The Red′ on September 9". enewsWorld. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Kim Ye-na (September 4, 2015). "레드벨벳 이번 컴백으로 첫 시도하는 것들". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Jeong Si-woo (September 5, 2015). "레드벨벳, 'V' 통해 매력 끝판왕 등극 예고…'오방만족! Red VS Velvet' 진행". 10asia (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Jeon Su-mi (September 5, 2015). "레드벨벳,10일 '엠카' 통해 첫 방송…특급 매력 발산 예고". enews24 (in Korean). Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ Lee Ji Young (September 4, 2015). "Red Velvet to Return with Full-Length Album 'The Red' on September 9". enewsWorld. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ Kim Chang-ryul (September 24, 2015). Gayo Plaza (in Korean). Seoul. SBS. SBS Power FM. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  12. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (September 15, 2015). "Red Velvet Earn First No. 1 on World Albums Chart With 'The Red'". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  13. ↑ South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart from September 6–12, 2015 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (September 2015). Archived on September 18, 2015. Retrieved on September 18, 2015.
  14. ↑ "音悦V榜". YinYueTai. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  15. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (October 13, 2015). "Most Viewed K-Pop Videos in America & Around the World: September 2015". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ Glasby, Taylor (December 1, 2015). "The top 20 K-Pop tracks of 2015". Dazed Digital. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ Ducker, Erick (December 22, 2015). "10 Best Music Videos of 2015". Dazed Digital. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  18. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (September 9, 2015). "Red Velvet Drop Brassy 'Dumb Dumb' Single, Quirky 'Red' Album". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  19. ↑ Dorof, Jakob (December 16, 2015). "2015 WAS THE YEAR K-POP NAILED THE FULL-LENGTH ALBUM". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  20. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff; Oak, Jessica (December 30, 2015). "The 10 Best K-Pop Albums of 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  21. ↑ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  22. ↑ Japan's Oricon Chart from September 7–13, 2015 (in Korean) Originally from Oricon (September 2015). Archived on September 18, 2015. Retrieved on September 18, 2015.
  23. ↑ South Korea's Gaon Album Chart from September 6–12, 2015 (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (September 2015). Archived on September 18, 2015. Retrieved on September 18, 2015.
  24. ↑ Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart Originally from Billboard (September 2015). Archived on September 16, 2015. Retrieved on September 16, 2015.
  25. ↑ Billboard's World Albums chart Originally from Billboard (September 2015). Archived on September 16, 2015. Retrieved on September 16, 2015.
  26. ↑ South Korea's Monthly Gaon Albums Chart (in Korean) Originally from Gaon Music Chart (September 2015). Archived on October 14, 2015. Retrieved in October, 2015.
  27. ↑ South Korea's Year-end Gaon Albums Chart (in Korean) Archived 2016-09-10 at the Wayback Machine. Originally from Gaon Music Chart (2015). Retrieved on April 25, 2015.
  28. ↑ "The Red - The 1st Album by Red Velvet on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
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