Ice Cream Cake is the debut extended play by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It marks the first appearance of the group's fifth member, Yeri. An extended play that introduced both the group's "Red" and "Velvet" concept, it was released digitally on March 17, 2015, and was released physically on March 18. The EP was released in two versions and contains six tracks, while spawning two singles (marketed as double title-tracks), "Automatic" and "Ice Cream Cake", with the latter becoming the group's breakthrough success.
Video Ice Cream Cake (EP)
Background and Promotion
On March 11, 2015, S.M. Entertainment officially introduced former SM Rookies member, Yeri, as a new member of Red Velvet through a video uploaded on their YouTube channel. On the same day, they revealed the title of the group's first album, Ice Cream Cake. On March 14, the music video for the song 'Automatic' was released. S.M. Entertainment confirmed that the group would be promoting with double title tracks, "Ice Cream Cake" and "Automatic".
S.M. Entertainment announced a program where in the group will be promoting their new album, called Ice Cream TV. The group performed the songs live in the show, which was streamed through Naver Music and was hosted by SHINee's Minho. Besides their live performances, the group also talked about the new album and their 'comeback'.
The group started promoting their singles "Automatic" and "Ice Cream Cake" on music shows on March 19. They first performed the songs on Mnet's M! Countdown, followed by performances on KBS' Music Bank on March 20 and SBS' Inkigayo on March 22. They returned to Music Bank a week later and won their first music show trophy since their official debut. They had their first overseas performance of "Ice Cream Cake" and their first as a 5-member group in an SMTOWN concert held in Taiwan. The group has also promoted and performed songs from the album in the Philippines for the Best of the Best K-pop Concert on April 12, a concert which also featured labelmates Super Junior and Girls' Generation as well as Cube boy band BTOB. The group also had its first promotions in the United States at KCON on August 2 at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The group participated in a fan engagement session at the Los Angeles Convention Center and performed songs, Ice Cream Cake, Somethin' Kinda Crazy, and Happiness during the concert.
Maps Ice Cream Cake (EP)
Versions
The mini-album was released in two versions, Ice Cream Cake and Automatic. While there are no changes in the track list, the Automatic version has an alternative cover which features the original artwork in black and white, along with the design of the physical disc and the photo book inside is different from the other version.
Music videos
Released on March 16, 2015, the music video of "Ice Cream Cake" features choreography by Kyle Hanagami who also worked with the group for their second single "Be Natural". It was filmed in Palmdale, California, using the California desert, a seemingly abandoned motel and diner as the background for most scenes. Before the announcement of her addition to the group, the four original members and new member Yeri were spotted filming the music video back in February, when the title of the song was rumored to be "Blonde Girl". In contrast to the music video of "Automatic" which has a more mature theme, the music video of "Ice Cream Cake" is brighter and livelier, with the girls dancing to a fast-paced choreography in colorful outfits.
Reception
Jakob Dorof of pop music magazine Spin described the track "Ice Cream Cake" as "a treat as unexpected as it is unpredictable [...] packs a punch, but goes down smooth over time" and deemed it "the SM label's specialty: bubblegum pop that deeply rewards repeat rotations." Billboard's Jeff Benjamin called the album "an impressive effort for such a young group" and praised its ability to personify the group's dual-sided musical identity through the singles "Ice Cream Cake" and "Automatic." He explained: "The former track is a punchy, sugary pop confection that [...] seems to represent the outfit's sweet bubblegum side; their "Red" side if you will. While the latter is a slow-burning, Janet Jackson-esque R&B jam that [...] positions them as sultry sirens; their "Velvet" side."
The album debuted at number 1 on South Korea's Gaon Weekly Albums chart and debuted at number 2 on Billboard's World Albums Chart. The album also peaked at 25 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers on April 4, 2015. "Ice Cream Cake" debuted at number 4 on the Gaon Singles Chart and peaked at number 3 on Billboard's World Digital Songs chart. The other five songs on the album also charted on the Gaon Singles Chart.
"Ice Cream Cake" became the most viewed K-pop video in the world for the month of March, while "Automatic" came in 6th. "Ice Cream Cake" also ranked first in America while "Automatic" ranked 4th. The album would go on to become the best selling album by a girl group in South Korea on the Hanteo Chart for the first half of 2015.
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are from the album.
Charts
Sales and certifications
Release history
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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