K-pop girl group
Red Velvet
returned today (June 19) with the single “Zimzalabim,” and are ready to cast a spell on listeners with its extravagant soundscape.
The genre-hopping song, which incorporates an addicting chorus inspired by the seemingly magical phrase “Zimzalabim,” comes across like a sonic roller coaster ride. The track surges with frenzied sounds, flitting between soaring electro-pop and funky percussive melodies, tinny hip-hop chants, EDM dance breaks, and chill, groovy moments. Through it all, the five members of Red Velvet showcase their energetic vocals as they cast a spell on listeners, urging them to leave behind the restrictions of the world and pursue their dreams.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Zimzalabim” was released alongside a bright music video that features Red Velvet’s Wendy, Yeri, Irene, Joy, and Seulgi taking a spin through magical amusement park rides, with the song’s tonal shifts reflected by the appearance of different attractions. Scenes of the women dancing are interspersed throughout, showing off the song’s mesmerizing choreography as the quintet’s members don color-clashing, outlandish looks that, like the song structures itself, shouldn’t work — but come together to ignite the senses.
The new single was composed by Olof Lindskog, Daniel Caesar, Ludwig Lindell, Hayley Aitken. It fronts Red Velvet’s sixth EP,
The ReVe Festival: Day 1,
which was also released today. The album features five other songs from the group, and is described as the “prelude” to “upcoming musical activities” from the group in
promotional materials
, teasing that additional
Days
are coming. It was released a few weeks before the group’s fifth anniversary at the start of August, and the cover of the album harkens back to this, with different imagery from past Red Velvet music videos and conceptual eras incorporated into a map of a theme park.
Earlier this year, Red Velvet teamed up with Ellie
Goulding
and
Diplo
for a remix of “Close to Me.” This is their first Korean single of 2019, though follows the release of their Japanese
Sappy
EP in May after that single dropped in January.
Watch the music video for Red Velvet’s “Zimzalabim” here: