Hello, beautiful people. I hope you all are doing great and staying safe.
For the past two weeks, I haven’t been very active, but I’m officially back. Although my absence led to a lack of music reviews for recent comebacks, I did listen to all the new songs and albums on my own. As you all can tell from this post’s title, I’ll be checking out Red Velvet’s subunit – IRENE & SEULGI. They released their 1st mini album – Monster on June 6th, and I had to show up for this one because their teaser images were absolutely stunning. Both ladies were serving me goddess looks –
(Please note – this is a real-time review, meaning I am typing down my exacts thoughts while listening to each song.)
Reaction to Title Track/Official MV:
A weird intro, but okay.
The set for the music video’s is gorgeous and really colourful.
The bass on this song is quite intense.
I’m also enjoying how sultry their voices sound on the track.
I appreciate the interactive choreography. Both Irene and Seulgi are killing it.
The contoured outfits are such a good look for both ladies.
Also, excellent progression with the use of a rap-singing style for the verse, and then moving on to full singing from the pre-chorus section.
However, I’m not too sure about the pre-chorus, but let’s continue.
I love the switch up for the instrumental during Irene’s second verse. I don’t know the technical name for what happened there, so I’ll just call it an electric fart.😂
The visuals and lighting for this music video are beautiful.
Okay, the part that starts with – “I’m a little monster, be scared of me…” slightly threw me off at first, but it does sound perfect after hearing it three times.
I have to replay this song before giving my final thoughts.
Honestly, I acknowledge the good qualities of “Monster” because both Irene and Seulgi sound amazing on the track. The instrumental is quite intriguing, but unfortunately, the overall tone and vibe aren’t doing much for me.
Album Review:
Here is the album on Spotify –
Monster – Third time listening to this track, and I still can’t get into it. I think it is because I enjoy some parts while the rest are just there for me.
Diamond – Okay, I love the instrumental intro for this one. It’s quite bouncy and makes me move a little. Both ladies are serving beautiful and smooth vocals. This song, to me, is way better than the title track. From the soft melody to the overall production, “Diamond” is a whole vibe. I am genuinely enjoying their voices on this track, and the instrumental with the soft finger-clicks is sitting well with my spirit.
Feel Good – Another intriguing start, and this song seems more hunting than the previous two. I love the short pauses between each sentence as they sing. Also, excellent instrumental progression, most notably with the way they introduced the drumbeat. Oh, are we getting an EDM build-up? I was not expecting the song to take this route. The production on this track is intriguing. “Feel Good” is a great song, but it still feels slightly odd to me. Maybe I just need more time with it. All the same, vocally, both Irene and Seulgi sound incredible.
Jelly – This is more bubbly than the rest. It is giving me classic Red Velvet vibes. Irene is solidifying herself as a vocalist with this album because both ladies have given nothing but clean and beautiful vocals with all four songs. I am really enjoying this track. I can see myself coming back to “Jelly” a few times because it makes me feel good. The drumline style instrumental for the bridge is giving me life. Plus, the subtle falsetto notes are blessing my ears. This is my second favourite on this album after “Diamond”
Uncover (Sung by SEULGI): Bonus Track – This is very R&B styled, and Seulgi’s voice is perfect for this type of song. She has the classic soft and mesmerizing tone for R&B music. “Uncover” is another good one, but I don’t see myself coming back to it a lot. All the same, it is a perfect way to close the album.
Final Thoughts:
This is their 1st mini-album, hence why I’m cutting them some slack. IRENE & SEULGI sounded terrific together, and the production on the album was kind of okay. I genuinely enjoyed “Diamond” and “Jelly” out of the five songs. Overall, I was not blown away by this record, so my rating for Monster is 6/10.
Red Velvet just released a repackaged album – ‘The ReVe Festival’ Finale, which features the title track “Psycho”Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group managed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of five members – Irene, Wendy, Joy, Seulgi and Yeri. They officially debuted as a four-member group on the 1st of August, 2014 with the digital single – “Happiness.” Later on, in March 2015, Yeri was added to the group as the fifth member.
(Note – this is a real-time review, meaning I am typing down my exact thoughts while listening to this song.)
Reaction to Official MV:
Damn, they already got me with that high note. I am pumped and ready for this to be a bop.
That note hits hard because of the silence at the beginning of this song. You do not expect it.
All the girls look stunning.
I love this dark makeup look going on here.
Nice touch with the finger-snapping at the start.
What is this beat? It is weird, but I like it.
Yesss, Wendy bless me with your wild falsetto.
The chorus is perfect, and I love the choreography. Very smooth and sharp.
The aesthetics of this music video is quite impressive. I love how everything looks a bit faded out.
Wait a minute there. Everyone sounds great, but WHATEVER SEULGI JUST DID AT THE 1:37 MINUTE MARK DESERVES A REPLAY.
Woooh, she served vocals on that line.
Irene’s beauty is a blessing to my eyes. How can someone be so beautiful and talented?
The pre-chorus section is definitely my favourite part of the song. That falsetto start always gets me.
The instrumental for this track is so good. I am not a music expert, so I cannot point out all the exciting things I hear correctly.
Like just listen to the beat right at the 2:54 minute mark of the music video. What is that? Whoever engineered this is a genius.
That part of the instrumental sounds like a car engine, but it fits so well with the song.
Red Velvet always comes out with such experimental sounds, but it works for them.
Yesss….. to this ending section of the song “Hey now we’ll be ok… it’s alright.” I LOVE THIS.
THIS IS DEFINITELY A BOP AND A HALF. lit, lit….lit
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏. Great job, Red Velvet.
They nailed every part of this song. I also love this concept.
Time to watch the MV again.
I think a few scenes in this music video reference some visuals from their previous videos.
This is so good. The girls popped off.
I love this era for them.
I am adding this song to my playlist. Also, I need the actual album.
Red Velvet is a South Korean girl group managed by SM Entertainment. The group consists of five members – Irene, Wendy, Joy, Seulgi and Yeri. They officially debuted as a four-member group on the 1st of August, 2014 with the digital single – “Happiness.” Later on, in March 2015, Yeri was added to the group as the fifth member.
