The correlation between the visual senses is sometimes stronger than I wish it was. There have been countless times that I’ve watched a music video and hated the song, only to realize it was amazing, but the visuals didn’t complement it at all.
I must say, that is the opposite case with Red Velvet’s most recent mini-album, ‘The ReVe Festival 2022 – Feel My Rhythm.’
I have been a reveluv (Red Velvet’s fandom name) for six years now, and I can say that Red Velvet never lacks in concepts. It is one thing that I always look forward to. ReVe’s concepts either lean ‘red’ being more light-hearted and fun, or ‘velvet’ being darker and mature concepts. Seeing the difference between the two realms from a single group made me fall in love with them in the first place, and this album is a taste of a fusion of these two- something I discovered that I am obsessed with.
The base concept for the album is honestly just very pretty; music boxes, tulle dresses, and sparkling fountains complement the light but powerful vocals each member is able to produce. The biggest surprise to me was the visuals within the music video alone.
The title track ‘Feel My Rhythm,” featured a 3:58 second music video that takes you on a journey through classical paintings, with the addition of frame-by-frame animations drawn around the girls. It focuses on the triptych ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights ’ by Hieronymus Bosch but highlights other classical paintings within other scenes.
All of the girls come together to portray the left part of the triptych (the creation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden). Separate, Yeri and Joy are representative of the center panel, that being a depiction of the common world- a playground of destruction. Seulgi and Irene are seen as depicting the right panel, illustrating hell and eternal damnation. Wendy is said to be the one traveling between the center and right panel as she falls through ice and gives into temptation, eating the strawberry.
These visual motifs are some of the most beautiful imagery I’ve seen in a music video and they are thoroughly developed with extensive prompts, costumes, sets, and video editors. The motion media portions at the beginning and bridge feature frame-by-frame animation; this is something some groups have included in their music videos, but it’s so tedious and time-consuming that it’s always a treat when it’s done well, and it puts in the hours to elevate the song.
While I enjoy the melody and love Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Orchestral Suite no.3’, it feels like it lacks a specific direction. It sounds like a festival with so many instrumentals overlapping, which you could say is the point with the ReVe Festival albums, but it lacks a stabilizing sound, making the whole song feel dream-like with nothing to ground it. Alone, I think this can be a weird mix of overwhelming and boring, but the visuals make this work.
The sound as the sweet, dreamy vocals everyone loves Red Velvet for, mixed with some darker dissonance in the instrumentals, it pairs perfectly with the classical painting motifs. This combination brings the song to a whole new level, completing the whole entertainment process, and creating a perfect example where aesthetics aid audio.
At first, I was obsessed with the song; I watched the music video at least ten times the day it came out, and I spent over an hour going through the four-minute video to find all the correlations between classical paintings and the video visuals. It conditioned me to think I was obsessed with the song.
Even though I don’t particularly dislike the song, I can see why many people aren’t huge fans of it as I listen to it more. The songs are good and I particularly like BAMBOLEO, but the thing that keeps me obsessing over the mini-album is the concept and visual elements.
Red Velvet has always had some of my favorite concepts, so I continue to have high expectations for their creative team. This mini-album not only met my expectations in concept generation but even surpassed them. I look forward to seeing their future visual ideation and pray for the day I work with my fave Kpop girlies.
Words & Graphic by Fai McCurdy.