With Umpah Umpah, Red Velvet has completely redeemed themselves, in my eyes, for the underwhelming and monotonous Zimzalabim.
No, more than that: Umpah Umpah deserves a spot in the highest echelons of Red Velvet’s discography, right alongside Russian Roulette, Red Flavor and Ice Cream Cake—if only for the absolutely gorgeous pre-chorus, which can be heard best at 0:31.
The music video is also right in line with Red Velvet’s standards, with its extraordinarily high production value and creative direction only being overshadowed by the adorable image of Seulgi standing on top of a roof trying to get a signal. Am I fanboying a little bit? Maybe. Has Red Velvet earned such fanboyism? Definitely.
Also, is it a coincidence that we get two of the year’s best summer songs (so far) right after I’ve bemoaned the lack of such bangers this season? I’d like to think not.