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 saw contributions from various songwriters and production teams. The album is a portrayal of the group's "velvet" concept, making it their second major release to follow this sonic direction since their second extended play, The Velvet (2016). The album reissued as The Perfect Red Velvet on January 29, 2018.
Perfect Velvet was met with critical acclaim from music critics; music webzines Idology and Weiv named it the best album of 2017 while Billboard ranked it the fifth best K-pop album of the 2010s. Commercially, the album debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and peaked at number one the Billboard World Album Chart. Two singles were released from Perfect Velvet: "Peek-a-Boo", and "Bad Boy" from its reissue. To promote the album, the group performed on several South Korean music programs.
Perfect Velvet was included in several music critics' year-end lists of the best K-pop albums of the year and earned the group several nominations, including Best Pop Album at Korean Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards. A landmark performance by the group was held in North Korea where they performed "Bad Boy" at the "Spring is Coming" concert, to an audience that included Kim Jong-un.
Background Perfect Velvet On October 30, 2017, news about the group's upcoming comeback appeared on various South Korean news sites, which was then confirmed by their company, SM Entertainment. On November 8, SM revealed that Red Velvet's upcoming album would be titled Perfect Velvet and would contain nine tracks, with the lead single titled "Peek-a-Boo". The name of the album references the "velvet" half of the group's concept which stems from the meaning behind their name, where "red" is their vivid and bold image while "velvet" stands for their softer and more mature side. In an interview with Xports News on November 8, SM stated that they intend to show "an upgraded version" of the group's "velvet" concept.
The group admitted to being unnerved by the success of their last single, "Red Flavor", as they were preparing for the album which the members participated in making through song selection. Group leader Irene told Billboard that unlike their past two releases earlier that year, they wanted to show an upgraded version of what they can show of their "velvet" image. Joy likewise expressed that she desired to showcase diverse concepts. Despite their concerns about the drastic change from their previous comeback, member Wendy stated that she thought it was "good timing" for the album to be released before the year ended as it "can show the perfect Red Velvet performances and songs".
The Perfect Red Velvet In an interview with Idolator on January 16, 2018, American production team The Stereotypes revealed they had "a new one coming that's gonna be really cool" when asked about working with Red Velvet. Previously, they also produced two tracks from Perfect Velvet ("Kingdom Come" and "Attaboy"). SM announced on January 23, 2018, that Red Velvet will be releasing a repackage of the album titled The Perfect Red Velvet with "Bad Boy" as its lead single. "Bad Boy" was described as a song with a "sexy" or "girl crush" concept by South Korean news sites, which has never been done before by the group. On January 24, it was reported that the repackage of Perfect Velvet will be released on January 29 with three new songs, including "Bad Boy".
On January 26, individual teasers of members Wendy and Joy were released through the group's official SNS accounts which were noted by Kang Seo-jung of Osen as having the vibe of a powerful "eonni". In the same article, Kang also spoke of how their latest concept differs from the group's past releases. The teasers were followed by clips of Irene and Yeri the following day, with Seulgi's unveiled on January 28. The reissue was released on January 29, 2018, at 6PM KST both digitally and physically. The physical album was released in two formats-CD and Kihno kit.
Composition Perfect Velvet has nine songs which features mostly pop, hip-hop, soul and R&B genres. The album's first track, "Peek-a-Boo", was described as an up-tempo pop song with addictive hooks. Tamar Herman of Billboard stated that it is "laden with trop house elements underneath the overarching quirky pop vibe, and is driven by a deep bass drumline, scratchy synths, and metallic beats" which also features "a variety of diverse, playful instrumental elements nestled beneath the main melody". Lyrically, it compares a new romantic relationship to a game that children play.
"Look" is a disco-styled dance song written by Jinbo and Sumin who also composed the song along with Charli Taft and Daniel "Obi" Klein who have written several songs for the group since their first EP, Ice Cream Cake, including the single "Automatic". "I Just" is a pop song with a futuristic bass and distinctive synth sound composed by Aventurina King, Kim Boo-min, John Fulford with arrangement by South Korean EDM artist and DJ, Hitchhiker and its Korean lyrics written by Kim Boo-min. "I Just"'s lyrics express the empty emotions felt after a break-up. The fourth track, "Kingdom Come", has been noted as an R&B song with a gentle beat and a soft melody. The song samples "I Deserve More" by Tenin, released as part of her eponymous debut studio album in 2011. The lyrics for Red Velvet's Korean version was written by Lee Seu-ran of Jam Factory paired with entirely new melodies by Deez, Ylva Dimberg and was produced by The Stereotypes. "My Second Date" was characterized as a mid-tempo pop track, composed by James Wong, Sidnie Tipton and Sophie Stern with lyrics by Jeon Gan-di.
"Attaboy" is a hip-hop song with a hook melody. It was penned by S.M. Entertainment lyricist Kenzie who also composed the song with Ylva Dimberg and The Stereotypes. "Perfect 10" is an R&B song composed by Charli Taft, Daniel "Obi" Klein and Deez with lyrics by Cho Yoon-kyung. "About Love" is a mid-tempo pop song produced by re:one who also composed the song with Davey Nate. Its lyrics were written by January 8 of Jam Factory. The final track, "Moonlight Melody", is a low-key ballad with a delicate piano melody, written and composed by Lee Joo-hyung of Monotree and Kwon Deok-geun.
"Bad Boy" is characterized as an R&B song with elements of hip-hop and a synth melody along with a heavy bass sound. The song was composed by The Stereotypes, Maxx Song and Whitney Philips with Korean lyrics by Yoo Young-jin, and the lyrics describe the attraction between bad men and arrogant women. Mexican news site Milenio called the song's melody a mix of R&B and hip-hop, and described its lyrics as the story of the beginning of a couple's relationship. "All Right" is an up-tempo dance-pop song that lyrically encourages a person to look forward to the future with the people around them. Composed by Kevin Charge, Phoebus Tassopoulus and Jessica Jean Pfeiffer, its lyrics were written by Lee Seu-ran of Jam Factory. "Time to Love" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad composed by Ellen Berg Tollbom, Ming Ji-syeon and Lee Dong-hoon with lyrics written by Kim Eun-jung detailing excitement over a new relationship.
Promotions Perfect Velvet The group began releasing teasers for their upcoming comeback on November 8 through their official social media accounts, which was followed by individual photo teasers of the members and a preview of a track from the album on each day until November 16. To further promote their comeback, the group held a showcase on November 16 which was hosted by label mate Taeyeon, where they discussed their album and performed the lead song, "Peek-a-Boo", live for the first time. On the same day, they appeared on a live broadcast through the Naver app, V Live.
The group had their first music show appearance on November 17, 2017, on Music Bank, where they performed "Peek-a-Boo" and "Look". As part of their promotions, Red Velvet appeared on the variety show Weekly Idol and were guests on several radio shows, where they performed "Peek-a-Boo" along with "Look" and "Kingdom Come". A remixed instrumental version of "I Just" was performed by the musician Hitchhiker, member Seulgi, and NCT 127's Taeyong at the 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards, where the group also performed "Peek-a-Boo".
The Perfect Red Velvet The album's title track "Bad Boy" had what Annie Martin of UPI called a "sultry" music video that featured the members in various coordinating outfits, which include all-black ensembles and pink pajamas, while performing against a snowy backdrop. The song was choreographed by Japanese hip-hop dancer and choreographer Rie Hata, who had previously worked with CL for the choreography of "The Baddest Female" and with the group's label mate BoA for her single "Nega Dola".
Red Velvet held a comeback showcase on January 29, 2018, the same day as the album's release, and was hosted by label mate Girls' Generation member Hyoyeon. It was broadcast live through the Naver app V-Live. During the show, the members discussed their new songs, including "Bad Boy" which they performed live for the first time. The group started their music show promotions through M! Countdown on February 1. The group also performed the song on Music Bank, Show! Music Core, Inkigayo and Show Champion where they won their first trophy for "Bad Boy" on February 7. To further promote the album and single, the members also appeared on several radio shows in South Korea such as SBS FM's Choi Hwa Jung Power Time, SBS' NCT's Night Night and SBS FM's Kim Chang Ryul's Old School Radio.
In 2018, Red Velvet embarked on their Redmare world tour to promote the album and its reissue alongside their first Japanese mini-album, #Cookie Jar, and their special summer mini-album, Summer Magic. A vertical music video for the song "I Just" was released on February 28, 2018.
Reception
Perfect Velvet received critical acclaim from music critics. The release of the album was also seen as the group's softer, more mature and sophisticated "velvet" side finally being accepted by the public. Seon Mi-kyung of Osen considered the transition from their last song, "Red Flavor", to their "velvet" concept a bold move but felt that it showcased the group's growth as artists. Kukmin Ilbo complimented the songs on the album as "colorful and solid", and noted its visual references to classic B-grade movies. Weiv chose Perfect Velvet as their pick for the best domestic album of the year and was the only album by an idol group to be included on the list.
Kim Sang-hwa of Oh My Star praised Red Velvet's vocal performance and "future-oriented sound", and stated that the album is one of the most outstanding domestic music records released in the year. Writing for OhmyNews, Oh Joon-young discussed the prejudice that idols are not considered artists and how Red Velvet pushed the boundaries of what idol music should be with their diverse musical inspirations and styles, thus gaining the public's respect.
In December, Herman chose it as one of Billboards 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks. Chase McMullen of The 405 believed that too often than not, most of South Korea's popular girl groups were limited to two concepts, which are "cute" and "sexy" but "Red Velvet's only true interest appears to be dodging what's expected". He stated that "The album plays like something of a challenge, constantly seeking to top itself". Lastly, he maintained that the members continue to challenge themselves, all the while crafting "irresistible pop that doesn't lose an ounce of sheen once the buzz wears off". In January 2018, Perfect Velvet was chosen by Idology out of 729 Korean albums as the best album of 2017, where 11 of their writers voted.