Rory Wei (10) | STAFF REPORTER
Major twists on classical music are not often executed in all genres of pop, but Red Velvet returns to the 2022 K-Pop scene with an experimental sound for their title track “Feel My Rhythm”. Coincidentally released on Johann Sebastian Bach’s Birthday, March 21, “Feel My Rhythm” incorporates a creative play on a sample of classical music prodigy Bach’s “Air on the G String”. This single was a great joy for all fans, as it displayed the amazing musical production and boasted the unparalleled vocal prowess of all five members. The soulful, orchestral melodies, twists and turns in sound, paired with the ethereal-looking singers and the elegant, dazzling scenery of the music video truly did bring out the best of what Red Velvet had to showcase to the world.
Recently, the quintet revealed that they wanted to take on a challenge; this challenge was to stick to their roots of musical versatility and pay homage to the music festival concept. Since they have several other songs – such as “Red Flavour” (South Korea’s unofficial summer anthem), “Peek-A-Boo” (a spooky, dark autumn song), and “Psycho” (a treasured winter hit) – under their belt that fulfill three out of four seasons of the year, “Feel My Rhythm” was a challenge to take on a soft, jubilant spring concept –and they definitely delivered, allowing all to really feel the rhythm!
Furthermore, listeners, critics and Red Velvet fanatics were extremely pleased with the title track’s superior, revamped quality; several news outlets and fans remarked how this song was quite reminiscent of 2019’s “Psycho”, which served as the grand finale for Red Velvet’s ReVe Festival trilogy. According to netizens, last year’s promotions and release of “Queendom” was too safe of recovery and did not do the group’s talent and resplendent discography justice. Thus, “Feel My Rhythm” was a thrilling comeback.
But remember, Red Velvet was named to excel at the entire spectrum of performance and musical styles –and that means they had to reach that goal beyond the provisions of their title tracks. If the title track was responsible for showing off the remaining of the four seasons in their discography, spring, then the rest of the b-sides on the “ReVe Festival 2022” mini album did not fail to meet the musically diverse qualities of Red Velvet’s previous songs. According to critics, the mini-album was arguably one of the quintet’s most sonically coherent albums, whilst integrating the group’s signature versatility. This versatility drew a great deal of inspiration from fantastical ballads, R&B, retro pop, jazz, and of course, classical music.
Deciding on the best b-side on the album was extremely difficult, so fans narrowed it down the top contenders to two tracks: “Beg For Me” and “In My Dreams”. If smooth, chic vocals, groovy basses, whimsical R&B styles, and vocal harmonies were all elements best utilized in songs, then these two songs would be the perfect epitomes of these elements.
In conclusion, this release from one of K-Pop’s largest and most popular groups was spectacular. It was everything listeners wanted from such an acclaimed act as Red Velvet. Fans are not sure where this group will go in terms of their music festival concept, but they still look forward to what more versatility Red Velvet will deliver in the following months of 2022.
