Perfect Velvet

Perfect Velvet has nine songs which features mostly pop, hip hop, soul and R&B genres. The album's first track, "Peek-a-Boo", was described as an up-tempo pop song with addictive hooks.[16] Tamar Herman of Billboard stated that it is "laden with trop house elements underneath the overarching quirky pop vibe, and is driven by a deep bass drumline, scratchy synths, and metallic beats" which also features "a variety of diverse, playful instrumental elements nestled beneath the main melody". Lyrically, it compares a new romantic relationship to a game that children play.[17]

"Look" is a disco-styled dance song written by Jinbo and Sumin who also composed the song along with Charli Taft and Daniel "Obi" Klein who have written several songs for the group since their first EP, Ice Cream Cake, including the single "Automatic".[18] "I Just" is a pop song with a futuristic bass and distinctive synth sound composed by Aventurina King, Kim Boo-min, John Fulford with arrangement by South Korean EDM artist and DJ, Hitchhiker and its Korean lyrics written by Kim Boo-min.[19] "I Just"'s lyrics express the empty emotions felt after a break-up.[20] The fourth track, "Kingdom Come", has been noted as an R&B song with a gentle beat and a soft melody. It's a remake of "I Deserve More" by Tenin, released as part of her eponymous debut studio album in 2011. The lyrics for Red Velvet's Korean version was written by Lee Seu-ran of Jam Factory paired with entirely new melodies by Deez, Ylva Dimberg and was produced by The Stereotypes.[21][22] "My Second Date" was characterized as a mid-tempo pop track, composed by James Wong, Sidnie Tipton and Sophie Stern with lyrics by Jeon Gan-di.[23]

"Attaboy" is a hip hop song with a hook melody. It was penned by S.M. Entertainment lyricist Kenzie who also composed the song with Ylva Dimberg and The Stereotypes.[24] "Perfect 10" is an R&B song composed by Charli Taft, Daniel "Obi" Klein and Deez with lyrics by Cho Yoon-kyung.[25] "About Love" is a mid-tempo pop song produced by re:one who also composed the song with Davey Nate. Its lyrics were written by January 8 of Jam Factory.[26] The final track, "Moonlight Melody", is a low-key ballad with a delicate piano melody, written and composed by Lee Joo-hyung of Monotree and Kwon Deok-geun.[27]

"Bad Boy" is characterized as an R&B song with elements of hip hop and a synth melody along with a heavy bass sound. The song was composed by The Stereotypes, Maxx Song and Whitney Philips with Korean lyrics by Yoo Young-jin, and the lyrics describe the attraction between bad men and arrogant women.[28] Mexican news site Milenio called the song's melody a mix of R&B and hip hop, and described its lyrics as the story of the beginning of a couple's relationship.[29] "All Right" is an up-tempo dance-pop song that lyrically encourages a person to look forward to the future with the people around them. Composed by Kevin Charge, Phoebus Tassopoulus and Jessica Jean Pfeiffer, its lyrics were written by Lee Seu-ran of Jam Factory. "Time to Love" is a mid-tempo R&B ballad composed by Ellen Berg Tollbom, Ming Ji-syeon and Lee Dong-hoon with lyrics written by Kim Eun-jung detailing excitement over a new relationship.[30]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
IZM	[47]
The Star	7.5/10[48]
The 405	8/10[49]

Perfect Velvet received critical acclaim from music critics. The release of the album was also seen as the group's softer, more mature and sophisticated "velvet" side finally being accepted by the public.[50] Seon Mi-kyung of Osen considered the transition from their last song, "Red Flavor", to their "velvet" concept a bold move, especially when they had just gained notable success and recognition for it, but commented that it is noteworthy the group chose to change their identity and color to showcase their growth as artists.[51] In their review of the album, Kookmin Ilbo complimented the songs on the album as "colorful and solid". After shedding light on how the distinction between the group's "red" and "velvet" tracks are not as simple as being "dance" vs. "ballad", they claimed that Red Velvet's music is like a signal that people can now "do this kind of music". They also noted that visually, it references mysterious images of classic B-grade movies reminiscent of retro music in the UK.[52] South Korean online magazine Weiv chose Perfect Velvet as their pick for the best domestic album of the year and was the only album by an idol group to be included on the list.[53]

Kim Sang-hwa of Oh My Star called Red Velvet "a force other groups could not begin to imagine" particularly because of how all five members of the group reached new peaks vocal-wise. He also spoke of their musical experimentation and "future-oriented sound", asserting that it is their strongest ever. He then concluded that the album is one of the most outstanding domestic music records released in the year.[54] Writing for OhmyNews, Oh Joon-young discussed the prejudice that idols are not considered artists and how Red Velvet pushed the boundaries of what idol music should be with their diverse musical inspirations and styles, thus gaining the public's respect.[55]

In December, Herman chose it as one of Billboard's 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks.[56] Chase McMullen of The 405 believed that too often than not, most of South Korea's popular girl groups were limited to two concepts, which are "cute" and "sexy" but "Red Velvet's only true interest appears to be dodging what's expected". He stated that "The album plays like something of a challenge, constantly seeking to top itself". Lastly, he maintained that the members continue to challenge themselves, all the while crafting "irresistible pop that doesn't lose an ounce of sheen once the buzz wears off".[57] In January 2018, Perfect Velvet was chosen by Idology out of 729 Korean albums as the best album of 2017, where 11 of their writers voted.[58]

Forbes stated that The Stereotypes' work on The Perfect Red Velvet "helped hone the girl group's lush contemporary R&B-meets-pop sound". In December 2018, Billboard included the title track "Bad Boy" in their '100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks' list while MTV picked "All Right" as one of the 'Best K-Pop B-Sides of 2018'. The Perfect Red Velvet was also included in Refinery29's '12 Best K-Pop Albums of 2018'. In 2020, Perfect Velvet topped a Billboard readers poll for favorite girl group album of all time.[59]

Domestically, Perfect Velvet was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the Gaon Album Chart upon its release. It eventually became the fifth best-selling album on the November issue of the Gaon Monthly Album Chart, and ultimately the thirty-sixth best-selling album of 2017 in South Korea, having sold a total of 90,456 copies by the end of the year.[66][67] As of April 2018, Perfect Velvet has sold a total of 101,032 copies, making it Red Velvet's first album to surpass 100,000 copies sold in South Korea.[68] Under its re-release title The Perfect Red Velvet, the album became Red Velvet's seventh chart-topping title and spent a week atop the Gaon Album Chart.[69] The re-release was the sixth best-selling album of January 2018, having sold a total of 55,128 copies, and eventually finished as the fifty-third best-selling release of 2018, achieving a total sales of 91,325 copies.[70][71]

In addition to the album's domestic success, Perfect Velvet topped the Billboard World Albums Chart for the week of December 9, 2017, becoming the group's third consecutive chart-topper in 2017 and fourth overall, following The Red (2015), Rookie and The Red Summer (2017). Red Velvet extended their record as the K-pop girl group with the most number one entries on the chart, breaking tie with their fellow labelmate Girls' Generation.[72] The album also made its debut on the Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums chart at number three, becoming their first release to enter the top five. With over 2,000 copies sold in its first week, Perfect Velvet earned their best US sales week at the time, later surpassed by the group's fifth extended play RBB in the same year.[73] Following the release of the album, Red Velvet appeared on the Billboard Social 50 chart at number thirty-three, a new peak for the group.[74] In Japan, the album debuted on Oricon Weekly Albums chart at number twenty with 2,867 copies, the group's first release to enter the top twenty. The album also debuted at number ninety-five on the French Download Albums Chart, making it their first release to enter the component chart.[75] Upon its re-release as The Perfect Red Velvet, the album debuted and peaked at number three on Billboard's World Albums chart, becoming their seventh top-three entry on the chart.[76] It also entered the French Download Albums Chart, achieving a peak position of number eighty-seven.[77] The re-release also helped Perfect Velvet re-entered the top fifty on the Oricon Albums Chart, reaching number twenty-nine on the fifth week of January 2018.[78]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Perfect Velvet.[79]