July 20, 2020

[Review] Seulrene - Naughty

Red Velvet's Seulgi and Irene helped satiate the fans with "Monster" previously, and now have unleashed a new treat for us with "Naughty." And to think there are two more videos on the way? We truly don't deserve. I would hesitate to call this the best timeline, given what's going with Wendy (and...the rest of the world), but these two are doing everything in their power to keep the masses happy.

This will be short. "Naughty" is all about that choreography and boy is it clean. My history isn't fully accurate but the last time an SM artist did some tutting was Super Junior during "Sorry Sorry," and that was a small sample. Seulgi and Irene are doing tutting for a majority of this dance and they are sharp as hell. In particular, the combination of their choreography and camerawork during the second verse is absolutely beautiful. The crisp movements and neat perspective make it an awesome watch. I also liked the slow implementation of the backup dancers, which you basically don't see until the final chorus. Since Red Velvet seldom utilize backups, working them into a subunit is a pleasant touch.

If I have to complain about this track, there are two small but noticeable things. First, the weird autotune of "naughty" that you hear at the beginning and a few times afterward. I don't really understand why songs find this type of extra voice necessary. Especially when the instrumental could've carried it solo. Second, and I hate to call her out on this, but man Irene slacked off in the lipsync department. It's a minor detail, especially if they don't end up performing this live and I get that. But Seulgi really makes her look lazy by comparison. I've said it before but I think you either have to commit 100% to the lipsync or not do it at all. It's weird seeing Irene half-assing it here.

Red Velvet have not let Wendy's injuries get the better of them. Everyone has been active in their own way and with Seulrene leading the charge, things are looking up. God knows we need some of that positive energy nowadays. Will the efforts of "Monster," "Naughty," and whatever comes next be enough to maintain their position among the current leading trio of girl groups?

No comments:

Post a Comment