[Review] TILT- Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI

It has been five years since Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI made their debut as Red Velvet’s first subunit with Monster. Yesterday, the pair returned for the first time with their second mini-album and title track of the same name, TILT.

The new song Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI goes down the club route, but it opts for a subdued vibe. An interesting dynamic, but I am willing to give TILT a chance. For the most part, the song does well. We are presented with an intriguing set of verses that captivate the audience and build suspense leading up to the chorus. I particularly like bass, which is a consistent asset throughout TILT. I liked the elegance brought on through the piano in the pre-choruses, which contrasts with the Tilt’s club energy and creates more of that interesting dynamic. Both IRENE and SEULGI do exceptionally well, vocally, in the song. I love the deeper tone that SEULGI starts TILT with, while IRENE utilised her breathy tones well in the second verse and TILT‘s pre-choruses. Unfortunately, the chorus was a let-down. TILT had good momentum towards that chorus, and I enjoyed how TILT continued the bass-heavy beat with the addition of atmospheric synths. But the softer spoken repetition of the song’s title as the hook just didn’t have that same oomph as the rest of the song. I wish the hook were more robust to give TILT a stronger centrepiece, and potentially edgier to reflect the club energy that TILT does well to encapsulate and extend its appeal.

I really liked the minimalistic aesthetics in the music video. It creates and builds up an intriguing atmosphere that makes me want to know more about it. According to the album’s Wikipedia page, TILT “explores the theme of mutual growth in a relationship, not as a contest of winners and losers, but as a journey toward achieving balance together.” And you can see this through how they hold onto each other when paired up, and through some of the imagery throughout the video, such as the yin and yang. Also, fun fact – the porcelain version of the members frightened me (but that should be no surprise, given porcelain dolls do give me the creeps).

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography for this comeback is logical and makes perfect sense. I enjoyed the tilting moves during the chorus, and I liked how they changed things up for the final chorus. I also appreciate how the concept of “balancing together” is reflected in the routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10