Ice Cream Cake (EP)

Following the end of "Be Natural" promotion in late October 2014, it was announced that Red Velvet would return with an extended play, marking their first proper release since the group's debut in last August. In February 2015, Red Velvet was spotted filming in a desert just outside of Palmdale, California with then SM Rookies-member Yeri, with the then-rumored song title to be "Blonde Girl", when they were actually filming the music video for "Ice Cream Cake". Yeri was then introduced by S.M. Entertainment as the fifth member of Red Velvet through two videos uploaded on the label's YouTube channel on March 11 and March 12, which contained audio previews of then-unknown album track "Somethin Kinda Crazy".[4] On the same day, they revealed the title of the group's first album, Ice Cream Cake.[5] On March 14, the music video for "Automatic" was released days prior to the EP's release, with title track "Ice Cream Cake" followed suit on March 16.[6] SM Entertainment confirmed that the group would be promoting both "Ice Cream Cake" and "Automatic".[7] The mini-album was released in two versions, Ice Cream Cake and Automatic. While there are no changes in the track list, the Automatic version has an alternative cover which features the original artwork in black and white, along with the design of the physical disc and the photo book inside is different from the other version.

SM Entertainment announced a program where the group would promote their new EP, called Ice Cream TV. The group performed the songs live on the show, which was streamed through Naver Music and was hosted by Shinee's Minho. Besides their live performances, the group also talked about the new album and their 'comeback'.[12]

The group started promoting their singles "Automatic" and "Ice Cream Cake" on music shows on March 19. They first performed the songs on Mnet's M Countdown,[13] followed by performances on KBS' Music Bank on March 20[14] and SBS' Inkigayo on March 22.[15] They returned to Music Bank a week later and won their first music show trophy since their official debut.[16] They had their first overseas performance of "Ice Cream Cake" and their first as a 5-member group in an SM Town concert held in Taiwan.[17] The group has also promoted and performed songs from the album in the Philippines for the Best of the Best K-pop Concert on April 12, a concert which also featured labelmates Super Junior and Girls' Generation as well as Cube boy band BTOB. The group also had its first promotions in the United States at KCON on August 2 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The group participated in a fan engagement session at the Los Angeles Convention Center and performed songs "Ice Cream Cake", "Somethin' Kinda Crazy", and "Happiness" during the concert.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
IZM[18]
Seoulbeats[19]

Upon its initial release, Ice Cream Cake received positive reviews from most music critics for showcasing the duality sonic concept of the group. Jakob Dorof of pop music magazine Spin described the track "Ice Cream Cake" as "a treat as unexpected as it is unpredictable [...] packs a punch, but goes down smooth over time" and deemed it "the SM label's specialty: bubblegum pop that deeply rewards repeat rotations."[20] Billboard's Jeff Benjamin called the album "an impressive effort for such a young group" and praised its ability to personify the group's dual-sided musical identity through the singles "Ice Cream Cake" and "Automatic." He explained: "The former track is a punchy, sugary pop confection that [...] seems to represent the outfit's sweet bubblegum side; their "Red" side if you will. While the latter is a slow-burning, Janet Jackson-esque R&B jam that [...] positions them as sultry sirens; their "Velvet" side."[9] In a positive review for the EP, writer Kim Do-hyun of IZM complemented the strong R&B influence in the release, while noting that the release is "an independent statement" for the group, choosing the two singles, "Something Kinda Crazy" and "Take It Slow" to be the highlights of the EP.[10] Another review from Seoulbeats described the EP as "an earnestly sweet album that shows the wide range of talent the ladies of Red Velvet possess."[21] The two singles would later appear in the top 25 Red Velvet songs by Billboard, with "Automatic" at number nine and "Ice Cream Cake" at number eighteen.[22]

On the week of March 15, 2015, Ice Cream Cake debuted and spent one week at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart,[23][24] giving the group their first chart-topping title. All six songs from the album eventually charted in the same week on Gaon Singles Chart.[25] The album went on to become the best selling album by a girl group in South Korea on the Hanteo Chart for the first half of 2015.[26] With a total of 48,815 copies sold in 2015, the extended play was the 50th best-selling release on the 2015's Gaon Year-End Album Chart, and later achieved a cumulative sales of over 88,000 copies as of September 2018.[27] It also debuted at number two on Billboard's World Albums Chart, becoming their first charting entry.[28] The album also peaked at 25 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers on April 4, 2015.[29] The album is also the group's first appearance on the Japan's Oricon Albums Chart, peaking at number 76 for one week.

Credits are from the album liner notes.[30]