Song Review: Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi – Cheetah

There are vastly different expectations for promotion and release dates between Korea and Japan. While it’s expected that everything (song, mv, album) will drop at once for a Korean comeback, Japan tends to announce release dates very far in advance and dribble out pieces of the project over the space of weeks or even months. Irene & Seulgi’s Cheetah, for instance, has been available on streaming since September. Fans have probably already played the song out. But now, a month and a half later, the music video and physical album has finally been released. Red Velvet have a pretty strong — if small — Japanese discography. It’s nice to see them continue to release material, even if it’s in the form of a sub-unit. Cheetah is much sleeker and dancefloor ready than the group’s summer comeback Surfin’ Boy. The song follows the now popular electro-house trend, bounding along a thumping beat that feels almost more suited to a catwalk than a dancefloor. This style of instrumental is never unwelcome in my book, but so far K-pop (and J-pop) has had a difficult time tying equally enjoyable melodies to the track. This is Cheetah‘s main issue, as well. There’s nothing wrong with the song, bu...