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The Red Summer (EP)

{{Infobox album

| name = The Red Summer

| type = ep

| artist = Red Velvet

| cover = RedSummerRedVelvet.png

| alt =

| caption = Artwork for digital copies and back cover of album

| released = {{start date|2017|07|09}}

| recorded = 2017

| studio = SM Studio, Seoul, South Korea

| genre = {{hlist|Pop|dance-pop|EDM|tropical house{{cite web|title=레드벨벳, '빨간맛'으로 여름 가요계 공략 |last=Kim | first=Hyun-sik |website=nocutnews|url=http://www.nocutnews.co.kr/news/4812337 |accessdate=July 21, 2017 |date=July 9, 2017 |language=korean}}}}

| length = 17:11

| language = Korean

| label = *SM

  • KT
  • Dreamus{{cite web|url=https://www.genie.co.kr/detail/albumInfo?axnm=80964658|title=The Red Summer}}

| producer = * Kenzie

| prev_title = Rookie

| prev_year = 2017

| next_title = Perfect Velvet

| next_year = 2017

| misc = {{Singles

| name = The Red Summer

| type = EP

| single1 = Red Flavor

| single1date = July 9, 2017

}}

{{Extra album cover

| header = Other cover

| type = EP

| cover = Red Velvet - The Red Summer (Physical).png

| border =

| alt =

| caption = Physical version cover

}}

}}

The Red Summer is the first special extended play and the {{tooltip|fifth overall|When combined with Japanese-language EP}} 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. Primarily a dance-pop and EDM record, it is the second major release from Red Velvet to focus solely on their "red" concept, following their debut studio album The Red (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 topper and their third to debut atop the Billboard World Albums chart, thus setting the record for the most number-one albums among K-pop girl groups at the time.{{cite magazine|title=Red Velvet Scores Third No. 1 on World Albums, Lead Among K-Pop Females|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7873155/red-velvet-third-no-1-world-albums-lead-kpop-females-summer-flavor|last=Benjamin|first=Jeff|date=July 19, 2017|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=July 20, 2017}} The EP spawned the single "Red Flavor", 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.{{Cite web|title=레드벨벳, 봄맞이 달콤설렘송… SM 스테이션2 막 올랐다 {{!}} 텐아시아|url=https://tenasia.hankyung.com/topic/article/2017033147874|last=tenasia.hankyung.com|first=Digital|date=2017-03-31|website=텐아시아 연예뉴스|language=ko|access-date=2020-05-12}} 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 magazine as an electropop 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 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 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.{{cite web|title=Red Velvet Capture the Taste of Summer With 'Red Flavor': Watch the Video |last=Benjamin| first=Jeff |website=Fuse|url=http://www.fuse.tv/2017/07/red-velvet-red-flavor-mv-summer |accessdate=July 11, 2017 |date=July 10, 2017}}{{cite magazine|title=Red Velvet Offers a Taste of Summer With 'Red Flavor' Song & Video: Watch |last=Herman| first=Tamar |magazine=Billboard|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7857154/red-velvet-red-flavor-song-video |accessdate=July 11, 2017 |date=July 9, 2017}}{{cite web|title=#레드벨벳, 여름 미니앨범 '#TheRedSummer' |website=Vyrl|url=http://share.vyrl.com/ko/p/595d8c9d19e9d20d1c8b463e |accessdate=July 11, 2017 |date=July 6, 2017 |language=korean}}

Reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = IZM

| rev1Score = {{rating|3|5}}

| rev2 = The Star

| rev2Score = 8/10

| rev3 = The 405

| rev3Score = 8/10

}}

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".{{cite web|title=Review: Red Velvet's concise and carefree new offering Red Summer is the perfect K-pop treat for the height of the season |last=McMullen| first=Chase |website=The 405|url=https://www.thefourohfive.com/music/review/review-red-velvet-s-concise-and-carefree-new-offering-red-summer-is-the-perfect-k-pop-treat-for-the-height-of-the-season-149 |accessdate=August 9, 2017 |date=July 14, 2017}}{{cite web|title=The Red Summer |last=Lee| first=Gi-seon |website=IZM|url=http://izm.co.kr/contentRead.asp?idx=28621&bigcateidx=1&subcateidx=3&view_tp=1 |accessdate=August 9, 2017 |language=korean}} Chester Chin of The Star 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 on the third week of July, with the title track "Red Flavor" topping both the Gaon Digital Chart 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).{{cite web|title=레드벨벳 '빨간 맛', 가온차트 3관왕 '인기 이어간다' |last=Park| first=Geon-wook |website=Naver|url=http://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=469&aid=0000219404 |accessdate=July 20, 2017 |date=July 20, 2017 |language=korean}}

The Red Summer marks the third time the group has topped Billboard's World Albums chart, making them, at the time, the K-pop girl group with the most no. 1 albums on the chart. The record was tied by their label mate Girls' Generation in August of the same year but was once again beaten by Red Velvet with the release of their second studio album Perfect Velvet 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 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 which is the first time the group entered the chart.{{cite magazine|title=Chart History - Independent Albums|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/red-velvet/chart-history/ind/|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=December 6, 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206111859/https://www.billboard.com/music/red-velvet/chart-history/independent-albums|archivedate=December 6, 2017}} In Japan, it debuted at no. 27 on the Oricon Albums Chart, which was also their highest-peaking position at the time.{{cite web|title=CDアルバムランキング - 2017年07月24日付 |website=Oricon|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/w/2017-07-24/p/3/ |accessdate=July 20, 2017 |language=korean}}

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.{{cite web|title=레드벨벳, SM타운 콘서트서 신곡 '빨간 맛' 최초 공개···조이 티저 오픈 |last=Yang | first=Ji-yeon |website=naver|url=http://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=011&aid=0003062904 |accessdate=July 9, 2017 |date=July 2, 2017 |language=korean}} 10 minutes after its release on July 9, the group had their first music show performance on Inkigayo where they also performed "You Better Know".{{cite web|title=이효리, '인기가요'로 음방 피날레…레드벨벳 신곡 첫 공개 |last=Cho | first=Yoon-seon |website=Chosun|url=http://sports.chosun.com/news/utype.htm?id=201707090100076180005658&ServiceDate=20170709 |accessdate=July 9, 2017 |date=July 9, 2017 |language=korean}} They continued appearing on several music shows such as The Show, M Countdown, Music Bank and Show Champion where they earned their first music show trophy for "Red Flavor" on July 20, 2017.{{cite web|title='쇼챔피언' 레드벨벳, 1위 등극...'빨간맛' 통했다 [종합] |last=Ji | first=Min-kyung |website=Korea Daily|url=http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?page=1&branch=NEWS&source=&category=entertainment&art_id=5443935 |accessdate=July 20, 2017 |date=July 19, 2017 |language=korean}}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = The Red Summer track listing

| extra_column = Arrangement

| title1 = Red Flavor

| note1 = {{Korean|hangul=빨간 맛|rr=Ppalgan Mat|lit=}}

| lyrics1 = {{hlist|Kenzie}}

| music1 = {{hlist|Daniel Caesar (Caesar & Loui)|Ludwig Lindell (Caesar & Loui)}}

| extra1 = {{hlist|Caesar & Loui (The Kennel)}}

| length1 = 3:11

| title2 = You Better Know

| note2 =

| lyrics2 = {{hlist|Lee Seu-ran|JQ (Makeumine Works)|Choi Ji-hye (Makeumine Works)}}

| music2 = {{hlist|Becky Jerams|Pontus Persson|Kanata Okajima}}

| extra2 = {{hlist|Pontus Persson}}

| length2 = 4:10

| title3 = Zoo

| note3 =

| lyrics3 = {{hlist|Lee Seu-ran}}

| music3 = {{hlist|LDN Noise|Courtney Jenaé Stahl|Alice Penrose}}

| extra3 = {{hlist|LDN Noise}}

| length3 = 3:24

| title4 = Mojito

| note4 = {{Korean|hangul=여름빛|rr=Yeoreumbit|lit=Summer Light}}

| lyrics4 = {{hlist|JQ (Makeumine Works)|Hyun Ji-won (Makeumine Works)}}

| music4 = {{hlist|Marissa Jack|Lars Halvor Jensen|Johannes "Josh" Jorgensen}}

| extra4 = {{hlist|Deekay}}

| length4 = 3:04

| title5 = Hear the Sea

| note5 = {{Korean|hangul=바다가 들려|rr=Badaga Deullyeo|lit=}}

| lyrics5 = {{hlist|Hyun Hwang (Monotree)}}

| music5 = {{hlist|Hyun Hwang (Monotree)}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Hyun Hwang (Monotree)}}

| length5 = 3:22

| total_length = 17:18

}}

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Red Summer.{{cite AV media notes| title=The Red Summer| others=Red Velvet| publisher=S.M. Entertainment| language=ko| year=2017| type=booklet}}

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}

  • S.M. Entertainment Co., Ltd.{{spaced ndash}}executive producer
  • Lee Soo-man{{spaced ndash}}producer
  • Lee Seong-soo{{spaced ndash}}producing director
  • Jeong Eui-seok (S.M. Blue Cup Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Lee Ji-hong (S.M. LYVIN Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Lee Min-gyu (S.M. Big Shot Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Yoo Ji-sang (MonoTree Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Hwang Hyun (MonoTree Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Jeong Eun-kyeong (In Grid Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Ahn Chang-kyu ({{proper name|doobdoob Studio}}){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • On Seong-yoon (sound POOL Studios){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Jeong Ki-hong (Seoul Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer
  • Ji Yong-joo (Seoul Studio){{spaced ndash}}recording engineer assistant
  • Nam Koong-jin (S.M. Concert Hall Studio){{spaced ndash}}mixing engineer
  • Koo Jong-pil (Beat Burger) (S.M. Yellow Tail Studio){{spaced ndash}}mixing engineer
  • Kim Cheol-soon (S.M. Blue Ocean Studio){{spaced ndash}}mixing engineer
  • Jeong Ui-seok (S.M. Blue Cup Studio){{spaced ndash}}mixing engineer
  • Chris Gehringer (Sterling Sound){{spaced ndash}}master engineer
  • Min Hee-jin{{spaced ndash}}creative director
  • Min Hee-jin{{spaced ndash}}music video direction and arrangement
  • Kim Ju-young{{spaced ndash}}music video direction and arrangement
  • Park Yoon-seon{{spaced ndash}}music video direction and arrangement
  • Seong Chang-won{{spaced ndash}}music video director
  • Jo Woo-cheol{{spaced ndash}}art direction and design
  • Cho Woo-shik{{spaced ndash}}art direction and design
  • Kim Ye-jin{{spaced ndash}}stylist
  • Yoon Seo-ha{{spaced ndash}}hair stylist
  • Soon-ee{{spaced ndash}}hair stylist
  • Shin Kyung-mi{{spaced ndash}}make-up artist
  • Song Si-young{{spaced ndash}}photography
  • Kim Young-min – executive supervisor
  • Red Velvet{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography
  • Irene{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography
  • Seulgi{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography
  • Wendy{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography
  • Joy{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography
  • Yeri{{spaced ndash}}vocals, Polaroid photography

{{div col end}}

Charts

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

!Chart (2017)

!Peak
position

scope="row"| French Digital Albums (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-albums-telecharges/?ye=2017&we=28|title=Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Téléchargés(Top Albums Downloaded) |date=July 14, 2017|accessdate=March 30, 2019}}

| 108

scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)

|27

scope="row"| South Korean Albums (Gaon)

|1

scope="row"| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)

|8

scope="row"| US Independent Albums (Billboard)

|25

scope="row"| US World Albums (Billboard)

|1

{{col-2}}

=Monthly charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
Chart (2017)

! Peak
position

scope="row"| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[http://gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/chart/album.gaon?nationGbn=T&serviceGbn=&targetTime=07&hitYear=2017&termGbn=month South Korea's Monthly Gaon Albums Chart (in Korean)] Originally from Gaon Music Chart (July 2017). Retrieved on August 12, 2017.

|4

{{col-end}}

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

! Region

! Date

! Format

! Label

scope="row"| South Korea

| rowspan="2"| July 9, 2017

| rowspan="2"| {{hlist|digital download|streaming}}

| {{hlist|SM Entertainment|Genie Music}}

scope="row"| Various

| SM Entertainment

scope="row"| South Korea

| July 10, 2017

| {{hlist|CD|SMC}}

| {{hlist|SM Entertainment|Genie Music}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiIGEHQP8o "Red Flavor" music video]

{{Red Velvet}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ice Cream Cake}}

Category:Red Velvet (group) EPs

Category:2017 EPs

Category:SM Entertainment EPs

Category:Korean-language EPs

Category:Genie Music EPs

Category:Albums produced by LDN Noise