I really wish that I enjoyed Irene and Seulgi’s Monster more than I do. I love a good badass, female-fronted comeback, but the track’s droning vocal loop just sounds like bad Halloween to me. Because of this, I’m happy to see that they’re promoting the superior Naughty (놀이) as a follow-up. While Naughty doesn’t bring anything new to Red Velvet’s discography (and doesn’t even sound much like a sub-unit track), its rhythmic deep house sound is a great match for the girls.
Naughty sneaks its way in, pulsing on a groovy bass loop that’s heralded by a pitched vocoder hook. It all feels very fashionable, even if this particular sound has been done to death over the past few years in K-pop. Irene and Seulgi bring an effortless cool to the track, never stretching their voices but meeting the rhythm with precision. Their expressive performance keeps Naughty interesting throughout, especially when they play with the melody during verse two.
Naughty’s chorus is more staccato and chant-like than I expected, but it has an addictive energy consistent with the production, which feels aloof but inviting. In many ways, the track sounds as if it could have appeared on a 2015-era SHINee or f(x) album, which is actually a pretty big compliment all things considered. And while I think an injection of robust melody (even just during the bridge) would have made Naughty an absolute standout, I predict it’ll enjoy long-term, slow-burn appeal. At the very least, its percussive arrangement fits well with the summer season, embracing old trends but harnessing the kind of quirky style that fits Red Velvet best.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Red Velvet finally got a worthy electro pop song. I can dump “in & out” forever.
Long live SMP.
That’s all I want to say everyone, annyeong~
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As Nick laid out, Naughty is a track we’re heard iterated before. I like it, but I can’t shake the feeling that it sounds like other tracks I prefer a bit more. Naughty’s chorus reminds me a lot of Metronome by Weki Meki in particular.
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MILES ahead of Monster. Even if this is a dish we’ve had a version of before that doesn’t negate how nice it is to have again
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I mean, it sounds like a lost LDN Noise-produced song for the 4 Walls f(x) album, so it seems Christmas came early for me this year!
Also, that choreography! I seriously hope this subunit gets to come back ’cause they’re absolute stars.
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About the article. First of all: You are not an educated writer. I’m a doctor in journalism. I will write very negative about your artice and this online news in my work.
Second: You are a men who thinks you can write about women’s music the way you like. Oh well, that is also “nothing new”. Most Red Velvet fans are women, they are a community and they don’t need men’s ideas of what men want to hear. This song is for their community and not for you, man. If you don’t like it, stay away and leave their community alone. They are good without men.
To point your personal opinion about “Monster” (or whatever) in an article is highly unprofessional. A writer is supposed to work in an objective way not in a subjective way. Your artice and this online news are both not serious and not professional. Your writing is fake news and you spread fake news, included misogonous propaganda.
I am not reading or responding to any comment anymore. It is ridiculous how some male K-Pop fans think they can write artciles about women without any professional knowledge about journalism.
Dr. M.C.L
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Ok
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About the article. First of all: You are not an educated writer. I’m a doctor in journalism. I will write very negative about your artice and this online news in my work.
Second: You are a men who thinks you can write about women’s music the way you like. Oh well, that is also “nothing new”. Most Red Velvet fans are women, they are a community and they don’t need men’s ideas of what men want to hear. This song is for their community and not for you, man. If you don’t like it, stay away and leave their community alone. They are good without men.
To point your personal opinion about “Monster” (or whatever) in an article is highly unprofessional. A writer is supposed to work in an objective way not in a subjective way. Your artice and this online news are both not serious and not professional. Your writing is fake news and you spread fake news, included misogonous propaganda.
I am not reading or responding to any comment anymore. It is ridiculous how some male K-Pop fans think they can write artciles about women without any professional knowledge about journalism.
Dr. M.C.L
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ok?
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I would imagine someone with a Ph.D. in Journalism would write more articulately as I, a student in college, could barely understand the syntax that formulated this hilarious comment.
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This is the funniest comment I’ve seen in a while
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Ok
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Ok.
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When I watched the MV and saw the choreo it honestly changed the way the song made me feel. I just get that feeling of excitement when I listen to it that is the same as when I saw the dancing
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Naughty sounds like it could be an EXO or maybe a NCT B side, which isn’t a bad thing! I’m glad they got to perform this kind of material.
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