Red Velvet Show Us Something New With "Dumb Dumb"

We're almost halfway through the decade and we've seen hundreds of K-pop girl groups come and go, though arguably none have managed to make the same impact as the main stars of the second generation. However it's more obvious than ever that the veterans will very soon be stepping down, with even giants like Girls' Generation, Wonder Girls, and 2NE1 having to rely on their previous successes to stay at the very top, and it's time for someone else to take the throne.

"Hang on though, if no other girl groups have even come close to the top spot, who could take it?". And that's where, in a flurry of confetti and glitter, Red Velvet appear to claim their rightful place at the girl group throne with "Dumb Dumb".

"Hey guys, do you think this is how Sulli, Jessica, and Tao escaped here?"

After a modest start in 2014, Red Velvet really made a name for themselves with "Ice Cream Cake", netting the group attention for its nonsense lyrics and unique concept. This time they turn the bizarre-o-meter right up, and as a result "Dumb Dumb" is pretty different to most K-pop songs; the chorus relies on the members continuously shouting, the lyrics are silly even for SM, the jam-packed instrumental is led by a dizzying barrage of brass, and the momentum constantly shifts throughout the song. "Dumb Dumb" doesn't wait for anyone, and a lot probably won't feel it's worth trying to keep up. Which is understandable, but I'd argue this unapologetic sound is exactly what Red Velvet need: something cutting, something that playfully strays from the beaten path in K-pop. Besides, you'll most likely have "dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb~" rooted in your head after listening to this just the once anyway, so might as well give it a chance, eh? 

Irene wasn't impressed with this suggestion to give Red Velvet lots of ballads

The MV is perhaps even more bonkers, though of course this is only a good thing. Here we see Red Velvet as mannequins in a factory, performing menial tasks again and again whilst mindlessly churning out more clones of themselves. Personally I think it's a really interesting concept, never before have we seen the origin story of a group or peeked inside the bowels of SM in such a unique and honest way. Perhaps in terms of styling the members don't look particularly stunning, but the video is still a real treat thanks to the striking contrasts between absence and abundance of colour in almost every scene; the vibrancy of the girls' costumes really makes them stand out from the soulless but very fitting interior design of the SM factory. 

Many don't seem too taken to how similarly Red Velvet are always styled, but I'd argue it really sells them as one unit together, and since individual personalities aren't really needed in K-pop (and can be detrimental, Jessica's departure from SNSD wasn't the end of the world but if CL left 2NE1 they'd pretty much be over) it's only a plus that the group blend together so well. The uniform idea worked for SNSD in their peak years and I see no reason why it can't still work for Red Velvet.

"Maybe, if we pray really hard, our trainee debts will go away!"

As you can probably tell, I absolutely adore this single (and I'll freely admit when I first heard the song I was slightly disappointed), but I'm terrified people won't give it a chance if it doesn't work for them straight away, and this is what really irritates me about K-pop - fans say they want something new all the time, that they're sick of the same producers, sick of sexy and cute concepts, sick of K-pop being almost unbearably safe. Then when they're given something new they recoil in terror. "I Got A Boy", "Red Light", "Black Swan", these songs were actually different and tried to give fans what they had been asking for. And they all very noticeably under performed. Is this really what fans want? Because the fact that "Shake It" and "Remember" did so well makes me think otherwise. 

 

"Dumb Dumb" isn't revolutionary, and it won't click with everyone, but it's what people have been clamouring for from a girl group for what's been literally years now: it's fresh, it's unique, and it's truly memorable. Sure, it's a bit harder to swallow than most other K-pop songs, but if fans really want to see a shake-up as much as they say they do, then we're going to need to be open to new things and not retreat back to Apink's latest rehash of "NoNoNo" just because a song doesn't stick straight away. K-pop is in a position where it might now make serious progress as a music genre, and Red Velvet are determined to lead the way. It's time we take their hand and follow them down their glittery, sugar-filled trail, and keep looking forward all the way.