Red Velvet Celebrate Their Versatility With The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday
No one throws a better birthday celebration than the iconic K-pop girl group Red Velvet. On November 28, IRENE, SEULGI, WENDY, JOY, and YERI showed they are the life of the party with their latest EP, The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday. With over 700,000 copies in pre-orders, the ladies have broken their own record, ultimately highlighting their continuous growth.
This new EP is a follow-up to The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm, which was released in March 2022 and charted on Billboardโs World Digital Song Sales, Global 200, Global Excl. US, and Hot Trending Songs charts.
Bursting with immense color sonically, The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday accentuates Red Velvetโs nature of being a stellar standout.
Itโs A Party, Party
The fanfare from George Gershwinโs โRhapsody in Blueโ greets listeners at the start of โBirthdayโ and seamlessly transforms into a trap rhythm-based pop vibe that samples the iconic classical-jazz piece. It sets a cinematic tone for the mini-album that exudes confident energy from the quintet. While the title track focuses on having the best day ever, it also makes a nod to their career so far. โBirthdayโ references an array of songs from Red Velvet’s discography throughout the lyrics, such as โDumb Dumb,โ โIce Cream Cake,โ โSomethin Kinda Crazy,โ and โRussian Roulette.โ
Red Velvet are well-known for throwing the bubbly cookie-cutter stereotype that follows girl groups right out the window. From eerie to horror and a bit odd, the girls will always be anything but boring.
This visual ballistic birthday bash features the girls defeating anyone stopping them from partying it up. โBirthdayโ is badass with a splash of vibrant and quirky. With strange unknown characters, parallels to previous music videos, whimsical settings, and colorful animation, โBirthdayโ is matched with an equally brilliant visual counterpart.ย
Loveโs A Rollercoaster
Falling in love isnโt always easy, but there are moments worth basking in whether theyโre pleasant or painful. The B-sides on The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday pinpoint everything from the bitterness to the sweetness of caring for someone so deeply.
โOn A Rideโ captures the lighthearted and romantic nature of slipping into love. Electronic effects mimic carnival noises, creating a whimsical, dreamlike sound. Meanwhile, on the opposite of the spectrum comes the road to heartbreak with the groovy, R&B-influenced exposรฉ, โZOOM.โ The track is about realizing that theyโve been lied to by their lover and confronting them about it. With the confident, bone-chilling line, โIโm a sharp policeman, youโre a sloppy criminal,โ the song is on par with strong female-led tracks about catching liars in relationships such as Carrie Underwoodโs โBefore He Cheats,โ Halseyโs โkilling boys,โ and TWICEโs โCRY FOR ME.โ
Proper Farewells
From sampling Gershwinโs โRhapsody in Blueโ in โBirthdayโ to Bachโs โAir on a G Stringโ in โFeel My Rhythm,โ the girls are no strangers to incorporating classical pieces into their discography. Beethovenโs โFรผr Eliseโ interpolates with the sweetly haunting chorus of โBYE BYEโ as the girls harmonize in singing about the end of a relationship. Goodbyes can hurt, but โBYE BYEโ tells the tale of overcoming the hurt and seeing the positivity in bidding a final farewell to a lover.
All good things must come to an end, but you donโt have to forget them, and thatโs exactly what the girls prove with the sentimental song, โCelebrate.โ The track encompasses the fondness of memories that have been made. The quintetโs vocals capture the delicate and sensitive tone against the lo-fi track. โEvery moment is precious,โ according to Red Velvet, as they send listeners off with the heartwarming reminder that is โCelebrate.โ
Until Next Timeโฆ
Fans can always count on more surprises from Red Velvet. You can now listen to The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday here. Make sure to keep up with Red Velvet on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube to see what they do next.
Want more Red Velvet? Check out EnViโs article on SEULGIโs solo debut here!
