• Home
  • Korean Ent
    • Korean Music Reviews
    • Korean Drama and TV Reviews
    • Korean Interviews
    • Korean Film Reviews
  • Japanese Ent
    • Anime
    • Japanese Music Reviews
    • Japanese Interviews
    • Japanese Drama and Film Reviews
  • Chinese Ent
    • Chinese Music Reviews
    • Chinese Drama and TV reviews
    • Chinese Interviews
  • Misc.
    • Light Novel
    • espressOH!
    • Editorials
    • Gaming
  • Join Us
No Result
View All Result
OH! Press
  • Home
  • Korean Ent
    • Korean Music Reviews
    • Korean Drama and TV Reviews
    • Korean Interviews
    • Korean Film Reviews
  • Japanese Ent
    • Anime
    • Japanese Music Reviews
    • Japanese Interviews
    • Japanese Drama and Film Reviews
  • Chinese Ent
    • Chinese Music Reviews
    • Chinese Drama and TV reviews
    • Chinese Interviews
  • Misc.
    • Light Novel
    • espressOH!
    • Editorials
    • Gaming
  • Join Us
No Result
View All Result
OH! Press
No Result
View All Result

REVIEW | “Umpah Umpah” is no Red Flavor but She’s Still Kinda Cute

That chorus though!

ladyandsansa by ladyandsansa
September 3, 2019
in Korean Entertainment, Music Reviews
0
REVIEW | “Umpah Umpah” is no Red Flavor but She’s Still Kinda Cute

Ok, sure. “Umpah Umpah” may not necessarily be my favorite Red Velvet release, but she gave us Seulgi in a raincoat. For that alone, I am eternally grateful.

Release date: August 20, 2019

Total Runtime: 00:03:45

Recommended for: This track just screams ‘Red’; those who prefer Red Velvet’s brighter image will probably love this track.

NOT Recommended for: As always, “Bad Boy” stans are never welcome to any discussion regarding Red songs…they just ruin it for everyone else; Ironically, this might put off some ‘Red’ fans too, as those looking for a more vibrant track in the likes of “Dumb Dumb” and “Red Flavor” will be left wanting more.


TRACK REVIEW: “Umpah Umpah”

I absolutely adore this music video. It feels like the first MV that actually showcased Red Velvet’s personalities. It successfully did away with the overly manufactured image that some SM releases tend to have. Unlike Zimzalabim’s rather ambitious video, “Umpah Umpah” is more laid-back. It is just as colorful, but it focuses on the members more than it does the chaos around them. The girls were able to have fun and put forth aspects of their individual images that fans would appreciate. For example, Seulgi losing the game of rock-paper-scissors is so on point with who she is in person. Not to mention, Raincoat-Seulgi on the roof is still the cutest thing I have seen all year.

I do appreciate that the disco influences in this track are a bit understated not so prominent. However, I could also understand those who say that the production is a little too safe for their tastes. Unlike the bombastic summer hit that was “Red Flavor”, “Umpah Umpah” may not leave much of a strong impression on the listener. It lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that the group’s bubblier songs tend to have. There really isn’t a part of “Umpah Umpah” that takes my breath away.

However – “VOCALS!”. The vocals absolutely make this song. The standout performances, unsurprisingly, are given by the three vocalists: Wendy, Joy, and Seulgi. For the first time in Red Velvet history, we have a title track with multiple high notes, and to make things better, each vocalist gets to tackle one. I mostly want to focus on Joy here since she remains to be the group’s underrated member. I am particularly impressed with her on this track as she has gone above and beyond. Joy’s high note at the end of the second verse was such a sweet surprise and made her the standout for me.

So in case you didn’t know, “Umpah Umpah” has a dance practice now. I really like the choreography. It’s not my favorite, but it’s quite clever in how it manages to cram a lot of swimming motifs without being cringy. It’s also easy to follow and is not as chaotic as “Zimzalabim” was. Also, Irene snapped… but let’s not get into that. The live performances are also good resources to view the choreo as they tend to focus on the individual members’ key points.

I liked “Umpah Umpah” from first listen but I still feel that SM could have done better. “Zimzalabim” – as divisive as it was – felt more definitive as a summer song than “Umpah Umpah” does. I have been waiting for SM to churn out a summer track that will compete with the pure magic that was “Red Flavor” but that has not happened yet. In any case, I do think that this track works as a part of the whole Reve Festival cog and I do think that it is a more cohesive and complete song than its predecessor. Still, it lacks a certain zing that I hope the finale brings.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE ALBUM?

I was originally going to review the entire album but decided against it. It’s not that I don’t like it, but this album does not have an “OMG! That’s it!” song for me. Not in the way that TRVF Day1 had “Bing Bing” and “LP” or even in the way that RBB was stacked with absolute bangers. I would never ever say that TRVF Day 2 is a bad album, but it is a little ‘meh’ by Red Velvet standards.

They are some pretty good songs here – “Love is The Way” and “Jumping” were the standouts – but they ultimately do not compare to the rest of Red Velvet’s discography. However, would I recommend this album? Definitely! The whole thing feels like a giant throwback to some of Red Velvet’s older albums (see Russian Roulette), so there is something nostalgic about it that fans would appreciate.

The Reve Festival Day 2 is a cute album, but I can’t escape the feeling that it’s just not as fun as Summer Magic or as majestic and unique as The Red Summer was. I would certainly say that it is the weakest of the Reve Festival series so far. Nonetheless, it is still highly enjoyable and is a much-needed addition to a rather uneventful K-pop summer.

The Review

4.4 Score

"Umpah Umpah" does not make me scratch my head like "Power Up" did, but it also does not blow my mind à la "Red Flavor". It's a firmly middle-of-the-pack type of track. Maybe that's what SM intended. Maybe not. Either way, this track is still a fun listen in any type of weather. I would call that an absolute win!

PROS

  • The chorus is absolutely amazing. It is catchy without being redundant or repetitive. I love that vocal line gets to belt some high notes.
  • The choreography is well thought out and perfectly captures the motif of swimming and breathing under water.

CONS

  • "Umpah Umpah" won't make much of an impression on the casual listener, but at least it will not induce a visceral reaction. It might be safe, but it's not boring.

Review Breakdown

  • Originality
  • Cohesiveness
  • Replayability
Tags: IreneJoyRed VelvetseulgiThe Reve Festival Day 2Umpah UmpahWendyyeri
Share169Tweet101
ladyandsansa

ladyandsansa

✿ The Princess will now have the Poweh of the Bleck Pentha Stripped Eweh! ✿

Related Posts

OH! Press Picks | Favorite Songs of 2022
Editorials

OH! Press Picks | Favorite Songs of 2022

January 1, 2023

2022 has been a never-ending rollercoaster year for K-pop as a whole. K-pop’s popularity has grown to an all-time high during the pandemic, especially for girl groups. K-pop in 2022 featured a lot of nicely, diverse produced music and...

Top Kpop Girl Groups of 2022
Featured

Top Kpop Girl Groups of 2022

December 18, 2022

They year end list is here! See if your favourites have made it! The list is based on recorded physical sales. It includes sales from Korea, Japan, and overseas. These are the girl groups that made the list of...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

About Us

OH! Press

OH! Press

Asian Entertainment Bloggers & Translators

We offer unsolicited yet correct opinions as well as other exclusive and original content on Asian Entertainment.

Categories

  • Anime (42)
  • Announcement (11)
  • Beauty & Fashion (8)
  • Chinese Entertainment (87)
  • Drama Reviews (72)
  • Editorials (238)
  • espressOH! (48)
  • Events (12)
  • Featured (152)
  • Featured Corners (34)
  • Film Reviews (10)
  • Gaming (30)
  • Guides (1)
  • Interviews (40)
  • Japanese Entertainment (244)
  • Korean Entertainment (817)
  • Light Novel (42)
  • Light Novels (72)
  • Manga (47)
  • Manhwa (2)
  • Music Reviews (247)
  • New Music (39)
  • News (49)
  • OH! Chart (128)
  • OH! Press Picks (3)
  • OH! QUIZ (6)
  • Op-Ed (11)
  • Other Asian Entertainment (6)
  • Translations (74)
  • TV Reviews (24)
  • Unboxing (2)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Popular

  • Food Wars: Meeting the new Elite 10 Council of Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy!

    Food Wars: Meeting the new Elite 10 Council of Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy!

    36809 shares
    Share 14723 Tweet 9202
  • Is the ending of Reply 1988 really that unbelievable?

    9917 shares
    Share 3967 Tweet 2479
  • The Ultimate Guide to the Different Positions in K-Pop Groups

    6077 shares
    Share 2431 Tweet 1519
  • The Ultimate Guide to K-Pop Albums and its Types

    5689 shares
    Share 2276 Tweet 1422
  • Classroom of the Elite Volume 3 – Prologue

    5303 shares
    Share 2121 Tweet 1326
  • Home
  • About
  • Press Team
  • Forums
  • Contact

© Copyright 2020 OH! Press – Bringing you exclusive and original content on Asian Entertainment.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Korean Ent
    • Korean Music Reviews
    • Korean Drama and TV Reviews
    • Korean Interviews
    • Korean Film Reviews
  • Japanese Ent
    • Anime
    • Japanese Music Reviews
    • Japanese Interviews
    • Japanese Drama and Film Reviews
  • Chinese Ent
    • Chinese Music Reviews
    • Chinese Drama and TV reviews
    • Chinese Interviews
  • Misc.
    • Light Novel
    • espressOH!
    • Editorials
    • Gaming
  • Join Us