Welcome to the second installment of Battle of the B’s! If you haven’t checked out the first post in this feature, go do it! Hopefully this battle will have a better ending than the Battle of Winterfell last night. Yes, I’m in my Game of Thrones feels. Anyway, on to probably one of my top girl groups of kpop; Red Velvet!
Ice Cream Cake (Debut EP, 2015)
Somethin Kinda Crazy – The vibe of this was so sweet and it went with the sweet theme of the debut track Ice Cream Cake. But where it differed was with a more soulful vibe, which in my opinion, Red Velvet thrives.
The Red (First Studio Album, 2015)
Oh Boy – Dumb Dumb was fun, Oh Boy was fierce. Showed that this group was not to be played with vocally. Wendy kills it shows why she’s a main vocal. I also fell in love with Seulgi vocally here too.
Runner Up: Campfire
The Velvet (Second EP, 2016)
Cool Hot Sweet Love – This whole mini album was a slow jam one and I think it was great. But I could have really seen Cool Hot Sweet Love being the title track. Again, this group vocally killed it and the heavy bass transitions easily to the smooth melodies.
Russian Roulette (Third EP, 2016)
Some Love – This is the first island vibe song from them that I actually liked. On a whole, this wasn’t my favorite EP and Russian Roulette was the superior track, but this was decent and a step from the norm for them.
Rookie (Fourth EP, 2017)
Body Talk – TALK ABOUT SUPERIOR! From the eerie opening to heavy bass intro, this song is everything I ever needed and didn’t even know it. It felt like the more adult turn for them. This is the kind of song I would sing at the top of my lungs if I spoke Korean.
Red Summer (First Special EP, 2017)
Zoo – Maybe I’m just not a fan of their summer ep’s, but there weren’t many hits off this one except for the crazy mega-hit, Red Flavor. But Zoo was catchy and addicting. I always find myself singing it to myself hours after listening to it.
Perfect Velvet (Second Studio Album, 2017)
Perfect 10 – The title of this is telling cause PERFECTION. This is the album that introduced me to Red Velvet and from beginning to end, each track slapped. I could have listed all 8 tracks as best B sides cause that’s how good this was. I usually state Kingdom Come as my favorite B-Side, but Perfect 10 needs love too. It was in the same realm as Body Talk. It was adult, R&B heavy and groovy. It lets Red Velvet do what they do best, sing and touch your soul.
Runner Up: Attaboy (Ass shaking song)
The Perfect Red Velvet (Second Studio Album Repackage, 2018)
Time to Love – I had to pick something so I picked Time to Love cause it was the least offensive. It was a solid slow jam from them and they couldn’t mess it up. The Perfect Red Velvet existed just to give us Bad Boy, anything else was moot.
Summer Magic (Second Special EP, 2018)
Blue Lemonade – Again, the summer EP’s just aren’t my cup of tea. None of the songs really hit like I expected them to except Blue Lemonade. Even though Power Up was a catchy song for the season, I could have taken the more groovy pop Blue Lemonade as a title track.
RBB (Fifth EP, 2018)
So Good – Like the title says, this was SO GOOD. Maybe I just think that Red Velvet is a pop R&B group because those hybrid songs are the best that they come out with. This was groovy and deep but still in the pop world to not intimidate listeners. When Red Velvet could just belt out their stuff, that’s when they shine the best.
Runner Up: Butterflies
The ReVe Festival: Day 1, 2 and Finale (Third & Fouth Special EP, First Compilation, 2019)
Sunny Side Up! – I really think this song stands out against the rest, with its genre mix of reggae and hip hop. It’s a sound we don’t hear often from the ladies but I really like how summery it is without being annoyingly cute.
Carpool – I truly could have seen this retro styled track as the lead instead of Umpah Umpah. It’s not as catchy but it is a bubbly dance track that I could easily roadtrip to. In Love.
La Rouge – There is no way I wasn’t going to pick this song as the best out of all of them. It’s a Funk Jazz number that really stands out against all of the other tracks on the compilation. It’s sexy and fun at the same time. I could easily see this choreographed for the stage.
QUEENDOM (Sixth EP, 2021)
Pose– This feels like a throwback to their earlier stuff. Very summery and dance-heavy. I also love how electronic the intro is. I feel like I should be a bubblegum rave.
Better Be– Where Pose is clubesqse, this is perfect for the lounge. It has enough pop in it to be danced to but the R&B and harmonies, give it that soul it needs and only RV can give.
The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm (Fifth Special EP, 2022)
Beg For Me – It is no secret that I love when Red Velvet does a more adult concept and this song fits that. It was hard to pick a song because they were all so good but this one stood out among them. It felt familiar but not stale. And Seulgi slays as always.
Unbothered Unnies 