''The Red Summer'' is the first special
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. and the by South Korean girl group
Red Velvet. Marketed as the group's first "special summer" release, the five-track EP was released digitally on July 9, 2017, and physically the following day by
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
. Primarily a
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
and
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
record, it is the second major release from Red Velvet to focus solely on their "red" concept, following their debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
''
The Red The Red may refer to:
Music
* ''The Red'' (album), 2015 studio album by Red Velvet
* ''The Red'' (EP), by William Control
* ''The Red'', EP by Kaylee Bell
* "The Red" (song), by Chevelle
* "The Red", song from ''Champion Sound'' by Jaylib
Other
...
'' (2015). It was later proceeded by ''
Summer Magic'' as both the second "special summer" extended play and the third major "red" release.
''The Red Summer'' received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its showcasing of the group's "bright and vivid" side. It was a commercial success, becoming the group's sixth consecutive
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
topper and their third to debut atop the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' World Albums chart, thus setting the record for the most number-one albums among K-pop girl groups at the time.
The EP spawned the single "
Red Flavor
"Red Flavor" () is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet (group), Red Velvet for their first Korean special extended play, The Red Summer (EP), ''The Red Summer'' (2017). It was released as the lead single from the EP on July 9, 2 ...
", and has since become one of the group's signature songs.
Background and release
After concluding music show promotion for their fourth extended play
''Rookie'' in February, Red Velvet released the digital single "Would U" as the first release for the second season of the label project
SM Station
SM Station is a digital music project by South Korean record label SM Entertainment. It undertook to release one digital single every Friday starting from February 3, 2016. The project's first season ended on February 3, 2017, with 52 songs. Its ...
. On June 23, 2017, S.M. Entertainment announced that Red Velvet would be releasing an album in July for a summer comeback (a first for the group) and had recently finished filming the music video. At around midnight on June 30, the first set of teaser images were released through the company's official website, the group's official Instagram, and the group's promotional Twitter account, which was created the same month. Later that day, they posted another set of teasers which revealed the album title and the full track list which includes the title track, "Red Flavor". The album was officially released digitally on July 9 and physically on July 10, and was distributed by Genie Music. The physical album was released in two formats: a CD version and Kihno kit.
Composition
''The Red Summer'' consists of five songs that incorporate genres like dance-pop and EDM. The lead single "Red Flavor" was described by writer Tamar Herman of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine as an
electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
song with "dramatic synths and a percussive melody." Originally produced by production team Caesar & Loui, the track features background vocals from songwriter Ylva Dimberg and a distorted lyrics "red flavor" done by Lindell himself. It was later rewritten in Korean by SM songwriter and producer
Kenzie, whom had previously worked with the group on their
first studio album and their
third extended play. Jeff Benjamin of ''
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
'' magazine described the song as a "super-simple-to-swallow piece of pop" and wrote that the album consists of five 'feel-good' tracks. "You Better Know" is a warm
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
song. The tropical dance track "Zoo" is a throwback to the group's animal sound-infused debut single "Happiness". "Mojito" was defined as a saccharine, glossy, electropop song and lastly, "Hear the Sea" is a mid-tempo
R&B track.
Reception
While Tamar Herman of ''Billboard'', Jeff Benjamin of ''Fuse'' magazine and Chase McMullen of ''
The 405'' praised the title track and EP for its summery vibe, with McMullen giving the EP an 8/10 and Hermann commenting on its "dynamic in its jam-packed but not overpowering production" while concluding that it is "sure to be one of the summer's K-pop earworms", Lee Gi-seon of IZM magazine was more neutral and gave the EP 3 out of 5 stars, but had a more positive response to the single "Red Flavor". Chester Chin of ''
The Star
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' described the album as a "sizzling affair that highlights the girl group's more vivid and upbeat side".
''The Red Summer'' claimed the no.1 spot on the South Korean
Gaon Album Chart
The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...
on the third week of July, with the title track "Red Flavor" topping both the
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
and the Gaon Download Chart. All five tracks from the EP also debuted in the Top 50 of the Digital Chart: "Red Flavor" (no. 1), "You Better Know" (no. 14), "Zoo" (no. 24), "Mojito" (no. 32) and "Hear The Sea" (no. 35).
''The Red Summer'' marks the third time the group has topped
''Billboard'''s World Albums chart, making them, at the time, the
K-pop
K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
girl group with the most no. 1 albums on the chart. The record was tied by their label mate
Girls' Generation
Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piece ensembl ...
in August of the same year but was once again beaten by Red Velvet with the release of their second studio album ''
Perfect Velvet
''Perfect Velvet'' is the second studio album by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. Released by SM Entertainment on November 17, 2017, the record incorporates R&B, soul and hip-hop with influences from future bass, trap and synth-pop, and sa ...
'' in November. According to the site, the EP sold over 1,000 copies within the week, making it at the time the group's best US sales week. It also entered ''Billboard''s
Top Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
Chart at no. 8, the first time the group has charted in the Top 10.
The album also peaked at no. 25 on ''Billboard''s
Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
which is the first time the group entered the chart. In Japan, it debuted at no. 27 on the
Oricon Albums Chart
The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
, which was also their highest-peaking position at the time.
Promotion
The single "Red Flavor" had an unconventional release and was performed live by the group at an SMTOWN concert in Seoul on July 8 before the song's digital release along with its music video a day later. 10 minutes after its release on July 9, the group had their first
music show performance on ''
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
'' where they also performed "You Better Know". They continued appearing on several music shows such as ''
The Show
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** Sp ...
'', ''
M Countdown
''M Countdown'' () is a South Korean music program broadcast by Mnet. The show features appearances by popular music artists who also perform live on stage. It is broadcast from CJ E&M Center Studio in Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Bro ...
'', ''
Music Bank
Music Bank may refer to:
* ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS
**''Music Bank World Tour
The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'' and ''
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung ...
'' where they earned their first music show trophy for "Red Flavor" on July 20, 2017.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''The Red Summer''.
* S.M. Entertainment Co., Ltd.
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
*
Lee Soo-man
Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred ...
producer
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
* Lee Seong-sooproducing director
* Jeong Eui-seok (S.M. Blue Cup Studio)
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
* Lee Ji-hong (S.M. LYVIN Studio)recording engineer
* Lee Min-gyu (S.M. Big Shot Studio)recording engineer
* Yoo Ji-sang (MonoTree Studio)recording engineer
* Hwang Hyun (MonoTree Studio)recording engineer
* Jeong Eun-kyeong (In Grid Studio)recording engineer
* Ahn Chang-kyu ()recording engineer
* On Seong-yoon (sound POOL Studios)recording engineer
* Jeong Ki-hong (Seoul Studio)recording engineer
* Ji Yong-joo (Seoul Studio)recording engineer assistant
* Nam Koong-jin (S.M. Concert Hall Studio)
mixing engineer
A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
* Koo Jong-pil (Beat Burger) (S.M. Yellow Tail Studio)mixing engineer
* Kim Cheol-soon (S.M. Blue Ocean Studio)mixing engineer
* Jeong Ui-seok (S.M. Blue Cup Studio)mixing engineer
* Chris Gehringer (
Sterling Sound
George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s.
Biography
Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...
)
master engineer
* Min Hee-jincreative director
* Min Hee-jinmusic video direction and arrangement
* Kim Ju-youngmusic video direction and arrangement
* Park Yoon-seonmusic video direction and arrangement
* Seong Chang-won
music video director
A music video director is the head of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or may not be in collaboration ...
* Jo Woo-cheolart direction and design
* Cho Woo-shikart direction and design
* Kim Ye-jin
stylist
Stylist can refer to:
Occupations
* Automotive stylist or car stylist, a person involved in designing the appearance and ergonomics of automobiles
* Food stylist, a person who makes food look attractive in photographs
* Hair stylist, a person w ...
* Yoon Seo-ha
hair stylist
A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...
* Soon-eehair stylist
* Shin Kyung-mi
make-up artist
A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions inc ...
* Song Si-youngphotography
* Kim Young-min – executive supervisor
* Red Velvetvocals, Polaroid photography
**
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
vocals, Polaroid photography
**
Seulgi
Seul-ki, also spelled Seul-gi or Sul-ki, is a Korean unisex given name, predominantly feminine. It was the 8th-most popular name for baby girls born in South Korea in 1990. Unlike most Korean names, it does not have any Sino-Korean vocabulary, Sin ...
vocals, Polaroid photography
**
Wendy
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
vocals, Polaroid photography
**
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
vocals, Polaroid photography
** Yerivocals, Polaroid photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Release history
References
External links
"Red Flavor" music video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ice Cream Cake
Red Velvet (group) EPs
2017 EPs
SM Entertainment EPs
Korean-language EPs
Genie Music EPs
Albums produced by LDN Noise