Chill Kill is the third Korean studio album and fourth overall by South Korean girl group Red Velvet. It was released by SM Entertainment on November 13, 2023, and contains ten tracks, including the lead single of the same name.
Background and release
On September 18, 2023, SM Entertainment announced that Red Velvet would be releasing their third studio album in November 2023.[1] On October 18, it was announced that their third studio album titled What a Chill Kill would be released on November 13.[2] Five days later, the album name was renamed to Chill Kill, and would contain ten tracks, including the lead single of the same name.[3] On October 24, the promotional schedule was released.[4] On October 25, the mood sampler teaser videos for Seulgi, Irene, Joy, and Yeri were released,[5] followed by the teaser video for Wendy a day later.[6] On November 6, the teaser trailer was released.[7] On November 9, the highlight medley teaser video was released,[8] followed by the music video teaser for "Chill Kill" a day later.[9] The album was released alongside the music video for "Chill Kill" on November 13.[10]
Composition
Chill Kill contains ten tracks. The lead single "Chill Kill" is a pop dance song characterized by "heavy bass, string melodies, dreamy synths, and bell rhythm" with lyrics "expressing the narrative of a love affair and longing for the other person even in the midst of tragedy when the quiet world was turned upside down".[11] The second track "Knock Knock (Who's There?)" is a dance song characterized by "the combination of sharp string rhythm and mysterious bell sounds with heavy bass" with lyrics "depicting the moment of falling into a sweet and dizzying game of tag in a dream that begins with a knock on the door".[12] The third track "Underwater" adopts a "slow-tempo" R&B vibe, characterized by "heavy and groovy bass, and dreamy synth rhythm" with lyrics about "comparing the infinite love to distant deep water".[13] The fourth track "Will I Ever See You Again?" features "energetic beats and synth drop" with lyrics having the theme of "moving forward with a calm and positive attitude in any situation". The fifth track "Nightmare" is a "medium-tempo" R&B song with "heavy string orchestration and a retro swing rhythm".[14]
The sixth track "Iced Coffee" is a "minimal" R&B ballad song with "emotional strings and calm guitar rhythm".[12] The seventh track "One Kiss" is a "fast-paced groove" dance song that "combines powerful bass and synth sounds with an addictive hook" with lyrics about "capturing the heart a stranger with just a kiss while making it the perfect secret".[12] The eighth track "Bulldozer" is a dance song featuring "heavy and powerful bass, and catchy sound effects" with lyrics "expressing the attitude of not stopping, and breaking it if someone sets a limit or blocks it".[14] The ninth track "Wings" adopts a "up-tempo" R&B vibe, bringing together "piano, bell, and synth rhythm combined with jazz" with lyrics about "delivering a message of hope and support" carrying the message of "comparing the attitude toward life to the birth and flight of a butterfly".[13] For the tenth and final track "Scenery" was described as a ballad song highlighted by "gentle guitar melody" with lyrics narrating "a simple story about drawing the precious memories accumulated over a long time like a landscape painting of the four seasons by filling each day together".[13]
Commercial performance
Chill Kill debuted at number two on South Korea's Circle Album Chart in the chart issue dated November 19–25, 2023.[15] The album later rose to number one on Circle Album Chart in the chart issue dated December 17-23, 2023, becoming Red Velvet's thirteenth number-one album on the said chart, extend their record as a girl group with the most number-one album.[16] In Japan, the album debuted at number 45 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums in the chart issue dated November 15, 2023;[17] on its component chart, the album debuted at number 12 on the Top Download Albums.[18] On the Oricon chart, the album debuted at number 25 on the Albums Chart,[19] and number 14 on the Digital Albums Chart in the chart issue dated November 27, 2023.[20]
In the United States, Chill Kill debuted at number 14 on the Billboard World Albums,[21] and number 14 on the BillboardHeatseekers Albums in the chart issue dated November 25, 2023.[22] In United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 33 on the OCC's UK Album Downloads Chart.[23] In Australia, the album debuted at number ten on the ARIA Top 20 Hitseekers Albums Chart in the chart issue dated November 20, 2023.[24]
Billboard ranked the album at number 22 on their list of The 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2023, noting "Chill Kill" and "Knock Knock (Who's There?)" for "harking back" to the group's previous works like "Bad Boy" and "Psycho". The publication called the track "Will I Ever See You Again" "a Technicolor dream woven with dancing synths" and referred to "Underwater" as "one of Red Velvet's most satisfyingly sultry moments."[28]Paste praised the record's composition and musical styles and ranked it number 12 on their list of The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023,[29] and NME ranked "Knock Knock (Who's There?)" at number 9 on their list of The best 25 K-pop songs of 2023.[30]
Promotion
Prior to the release of Chill Kill, on November 13, 2023, Red Velvet held a live event called "Red Velvet 'Chill Kill' Countdown Live" on YouTube, TikTok, Weverse, and Idol Plus, aimed at introducing the album and connecting with their fanbase.[31]
^Hwang, Hye-jin (September 18, 2023). "SM 측 "레드벨벳 11월 컴백 목표, 정규 3집 발매"[공식]" [SM side "Red Velvet's goal for a comeback in November is to release their 3rd full-length album" [Official]]. Newsen. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Cho, Yu-na (October 18, 2023). "'컴백' 레드벨벳, 정규 3집 'What A Chill Kill' 11월 13일 발매" ['Comeback' Red Velvet, 3rd regular album 'What A Chill Kill' released on November 13th]. Sports Donga. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kang, Ka-hee (October 23, 2023). "레드벨벳, 정규 3집 '칠 킬' 로고 공개..'레벨' 다운 유니크함에 기대감 UP" [Red Velvet unveils logo for 3rd full-length album 'Chill Kill'..Expectations rise due to 'level' down uniqueness] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jo, Hye-jin (October 24, 2023). "'11월 컴백' 레드벨벳, '독보적 감성' 스케줄 포스터 공개" ['November Comeback' Red Velvet, 'Unrivaled Emotion' Schedule Poster Revealed] (in Korean). X-port News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Choi, Hye-jin (October 25, 2023). "레드벨벳, 3집 무대 샘플러 영상 공개..강렬·세련 비주얼" [Red Velvet, 3rd album stage sampler video released..Intense and sophisticated visuals] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Jun-ho (October 26, 2023). "레드벨벳, 새 앨범 'Chill Kill' 웬디 무드 샘플러 영상 공개" [Red Velvet releases Wendy mood sampler video for new album 'Chill Kill'] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ji-hye (November 6, 2023). "레드벨벳, 정규 3집 'Chill Kill' 환상적 보컬 매력..트레일러 화제" [Red Velvet, fantastic vocal charm in 3rd full-length album 'Chill Kill'...trailer hot topic] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Mi-yeon (November 9, 2023). "레드벨벳, 신곡 '칠킬'로 독보적 퍼포먼스 예고 '과감'" [Red Velvet, boldly announces unrivaled performance with new song 'Chill Kill'] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (November 10, 2023). "'컴백' 레드벨벳 'Chill Kill' MV 티저 공개...자매가 된 레드벨벳" ['Comeback' Red Velvet 'Chill Kill' MV teaser released...Red Velvet Becomes Sisters] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^Ji, Min-kyung (November 13, 2023). ""해피엔딩으로" 레드벨벳, 차가운 희망의 랩소디 'Chill Kill' [퇴근길 신곡]" ["To a happy ending" Red Velvet, a rhapsody of cold hope 'Chill Kill' [New song on the way home from work]] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^Im, Min-ji (October 27, 2023). "레드벨벳, 'Chill Kill'로 선보일 밝은 비극..고전적 세련미 티저이미지" [Red Velvet, bright tragedy to be revealed with 'Chill Kill'...classic sophistication teaser image] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
^ abcPark, Seo-yeon (November 7, 2023). "레드벨벳, 치명적인 사랑 이야기 'Chill Kill'...거부할 수 없다" [Red Velvet, fatal love story 'Chill Kill'...can't refuse] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023 – via Naver.
^ abcHwang, Hye-jin (November 6, 2023). "레드벨벳, 13일 정규 3집 'Chill Kill' 컴백...환상적 보컬 조합" [Red Velvet, comeback with 3rd full-length album 'Chill Kill' on the 13th...fantastic vocal combination] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via Naver.
^ abKim, So-yeon (November 8, 2023). "레드벨벳, 정규 3집 '칠킬'로 전할 다채로운 메시지" [Red Velvet, a colorful message to convey with their 3rd full-length album 'Chill Kill'] (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^"週間 アルバムランキング – 2023年11月27日付" [Oricon Weekly Albums Ranking – November 27, 2023]. Oricon (in Japanese). November 13–19, 2023. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^"週間 デジタルアルバムランキング – 2023年11月27日付" [Oricon Weekly Digital Albums Ranking – November 27, 2023]. Oricon (in Japanese). November 13–19, 2023. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
^ ab"The ARIA Report: Week Commercing November 20, 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1759. Australian Recording Industry Association. November 20, 2023. p. 25.
^Kim, Min-ji (November 13, 2023). "레드벨벳, 오늘 정규 3집 '칠 킬' 발매...6년 만에 정규앨범" [Red Velvet releases 3rd full-length album 'Chill Kill' today...Full album after 6 years] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023 – via Naver.
^Red Velvet (group) (2023). Chill Kill (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment; Kakao Entertainment. Credits.
