I wonder how long it'll take before the title track names get oversaturated and easily noticeable. Anyways, Red Velvet are back after the incredibly beautiful "One Of These Nights," and if their promotion cycles are any indication, they'll be going back to some funky dance tunes this time around. Teaser images certainly pointed us in that general direction, but I can't say I was too pleased with some of those results. Also, it goes without saying that the infamous Red Velvet sacrifice theory reared its head with the Tiffany fiasco. Anyway, let's dive in to "Russian Roulette."
Ever since the magical wonder that was "One Of These Nights," I don't think you could convince me that any member is a distinct loser in terms of their voice. Irene is probably the weakest of the bunch, but her support work with Joy and Yeri get the job done, while Seulgi and Wendy take charge. That being said, I don't think this song is the type that really frames any particular voice nicely. "Russian Roulette" is very much generic pop and as a consequence I can't really see any voice being spectacular, much less anyone from Red Velvet. I've talked about this before, but it's easy to sound average or boring in a pop song, and more difficult to be different.
The repetition game is strong in "Russian Roulette," with many "bi" and "la" sounds taking up a majority of the hooks and catchy moments. Maybe the frequency and quantity at which they're said is too high, because I found myself getting bored by them, unlike say, the "aniya" moments from CLC's "No Oh Oh." Even with that said, I struggle to find a moment in the song that impresses. Wendy, who is usually their strongest vocalist, fades into near obscurity as she does very basic work all around. As an endnote on the vocals, this song would sound amazing in an 8-bit video game arrangement. Red Velvet instrumentals have a knack for that.
If you were to isolate all of Red Velvet's past choreographies and put them beside the one in "Russian Roulette," it makes the latter seem really odd and awkward. In a way, this almost works for the song because it's so different compared to Red Velvet's other dance tracks. However, even after almost two weeks, I'm still not really feeling it. Maybe it's because many movements have to do with extending arms, and theirs are thin like sticks and that makes me uncomfortable? Overall the whole dance looks jumbled and simply isn't as polished as it could be, or any of their previous dance hits for that matter. Hard to imagine Red Velvet getting a miss on choreography, so perhaps I'll have a change of heart after more lives.
Welp, rest in peace Seulgi's pristine visuals. Looks like Halloween came a month early for her, what with that hideous orange shade and all. Honestly, I couldn't really appreciate any of the styling for any member, with the natural exception being Irene. She's the latest to join the mantle of "forever young" visuals alongside Victoria and Sojin. Even then, some of her looks and outfits are quite questionable. I suppose of the song was to go down a different path compared to their past dance numbers than so too must the styling. Outside of the styling and outfits, the video follows the blueprints of "Dumb Dumb" and "Ice Cream Cake" with tacky bright colors and various framing changes. The motif seems to have no relation with the actual content of the video, where the members are plotting murder upon each other. Some moments are plain silly (death by breakfast) and others too dark or real (car accidents should never be taken lightly). Though the Tom & Jerry-esque cartoon that appears throughout does help ease the discomfort a little. It's pretty weird as a whole and I think I like it, but at least SPICA's "Russian Roulette" had guns that were truly relevant to the song title.
Despite the late late release of this review (the inevitable march of school slows things down for me), it gave "Russian Roulette" plenty of time to win the draw and unfortunately, the jury is still out on this track. It's a peppy song with jolts of energy here and there, coupled with an equally peppy and bright music video (albeit with darker underlying themes). But the dance is uninspiring and the song itself isn't particularly memorable. I'll hold out as long as I can, but as it stands "Russian Roulette" is the most disappointing song of Red Velvet's young career (bar that which must not be named).
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