South Korean girl group Red Velvet makes their much-awaited comeback with the release of Queendom - The 6th Mini Album last Aug. 16 through SM Entertainment. The six-track extended play (EP) marks the end of their 602-day hiatus since their first Korean-language compilation album The ReVe Festival Finale was released on Dec. 23, 2019.

The third-generation girl group is composed of members Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri, which originally debuted as a four-piece group with the single “Happiness” on Aug. 1, 2014. In March 2015, Yeri was later added to the group when they released their first “mini-album” Ice Cream Cake.

Queendom come

The group’s long hiatus was marked with a number of events, one of them being an unfortunate accident that happened to Wendy back in December 2019. She suffered serious injuries to the right cheek, wrist, and pelvis after falling from a stage during a rehearsal for SBS Gayo Daejun, an annual televised music festival. Despite this, however, she was able to recover successfully, and her journey to healing also gave fans much anticipation for the group’s return.

Not surprisingly, though, the EP was dubbed as a successful comeback for the girl group.  Characterized by catchy jams and uplifting messages found within each lyric, the songs also give Irene and Yeri more time in the spotlight, as they were given more lines to sing compared to their preceding albums.

Fans have taken to social media sites like Twitter to express their love and congratulations for each member, especially Wendy, who was able to fully recover from the accident and bounce back strongly.

Reminiscing the 80s and 90s

The extended play is mainly composed of songs inspired by the genres of R&B and soul. It consists of the title track “Queendom,” followed by “Pose,” “Knock On Wood,” “Better Be,” “Pushin’ N’ Pullin’,” and “Hello, Sunset.”

The first track “Queendom" is an upbeat 80s-inspired electronic song dedicated to boosting self-confidence, with lyrics that consist of messages that tell its listeners that they are “Queens in the red castle. Don’t need crown, we were born to Dazzle.”

Meanwhile, “Pose,” the most notable B-side of the mini-album, is a 90s-inspired track that screams confidence once more. With its pop instrumental and lively vocals to brighten one’s mood and convinces us to “walk down the runway even without high heels,” the track aims to spread the message of expressing oneself freely.

Supplementary recommendations

• “Knock On Wood” - An electronic song speaking of love and romance with nostalgic tendencies, the track references fictional characters such as Harry Potter, Willy Wonka, and Wizard of Oz inserted into the cheery and upbeat lyrics.
  
  
• “Better Be” - Featured in the Queendom mood sampler released on Aug. 3, the track conveys the message of love and romance with the lyrics, “no need to rush to reach out to me.” 
  
  
• “Pushin’ N’ Pullin’” - A track that may be one for the feels, the narrator in the song assures the person they are speaking to doesn’t need to push or pull to get their love.
  
  
• “Hello, Sunset” - This track is an R&B-inspired ballad that aims to captivate the listeners with its charming, sunset-vibe summery lyrics of love. 
  
  

Be your own kind of queen or king

Queendom comes with two versions: a photo book version and a case version which cost $12.97 and $8.24, respectively, on Ktown4u.

The case version comes with a pink box packaging with a jewelry box-like case inside that contains the freebies plus the CD. Meanwhile, the photo book version comes with a randomly-picked cover jacket out of two available covers, along with freebies and a CD.

Overall, Queendom - The 6th Mini Album is a light-hearted and upbeat EP that promotes self-confidence. The album gave each member equal line distribution and a chance for Yeri to have a center role in the music video.