Although Red Velvet hasn’t been around that long as a group, there are layers to the fandom.  There are those who came in after Ice Cream Cake and The Red were released.  There are those who came in for Automatic and Be Natural.  And then there are those who were there from the beginning, with Happiness.  It’s that last group that is going to be happiest with the sound of their latest EP.

Not that the other groups are going to be left hanging by any means.  If anything, this is the most comprehensive display of the overall Red Velvet sound that the group has ever put out.  But what sometimes gets lots in the description of them as having that red, sassy sound and the velvety, smooth vocals is the sweet, poppy sound that started them off.  We have got hint of it with Russian Roulette, but this brings in a full return with the lead single Red Flavor and the follow-up, You Better Know.

What makes all of this work is the vocals and Red Velvet absolutely came to play this time around.  Beside the leads being in their elements and showing off their growing individual styles as singers, but the harmonies are immaculate.  There are, of course, the harmonies that support every moment of the EP, but there are subtle background vocals that barely register in the first listen through that make these songs so rich.  They could have easily have left things with the harmonies and that would have been enough to satisfy fans, but they keep with their cred of being a vocal group by showing out even when they didn’t really have to.

The production for all but the last track are fitting with this being label a summer EP.  The sounds are bright and happy, with a feeling of sunshine permeating throughout.  That kind of red feeling is throughout all of the tracks as each them has that little extra something that makes them stand out against the others.  Even the slowest track, Hear The Sea, has a little bit of sass to it thanks to the upbeat jazz production and underlying beat (though this is the track that is going to please that second crowd the most) and gives the sense of a wind down to a busy day.

Despite the short the length, this is incredibly satisfying to those who love all of Red Velvet.  We could easily see an another album release coming after this.

Our favorite tracks are Zoo and Hear The Sea.  The most skippable track is Mojito.