Experts on Pitchfork assess albums of K-pop girl groups from the third generation: BLACKPINK, TWICE, and Red Velvet; which group has the highest score?
Not only ‘fighting’ for digital music achievements or YouTube views, fans of BLACKPINK, TWICE, and Red Velvet are also arguing for the quality of idols’ albums.
Aside from digital music achievements, YouTube views, album sales, and so on, music quality is another essential component determining any group’s popularity and public support.
Pitchfork, an American music review site, had the opportunity to provide reviews and ratings for Red Velvet‘s album Queendom on August 20, following the band’s comeback on August 16. On this occasion, netizens had the opportunity to compare and evaluate Pitchfork’s scores for three hit albums by three successful Gen 3 girl groups, Red Velvet, TWICE, and BLACKPINK.
Returning after a year and eight months, Red Velvet‘s mini-album Queendom was given a score of 6.7 by Pitchfork. Many people are disappointed by this score because Red Velvet is renowned as a multi-style band with consistently high-quality music. According to Pitchfork, “Queendom” has a sequence of songs that are “absolutely beautiful,” but “doesn’t overflow with excellence, though, and its title track rarely offers the quintet the chance to flaunt their vocal prowess.”
This time, Pitchfork applauded Red Velvet‘s album, noting that the group’s discovery is deserving of representing the greatest of Kpop right now. The Red and Perfect Velvet, the group’s prior two albums, were considered as the greatest in Kpop history, regardless of genres. This is particularly appropriate given that the 5 Red Velvet girls’ album is titled Queendom, implying that the girls would ascend above their competitors.
Taste Of Love was considered as proof that TWICE is always at the top and able to fight with its rivals, according to Pitchfork. The title track, Alcohol-Free, is a huge stride forward for TWICE. TWICE now not only “specializes” in love songs like TT and Likey, but they can also sing songs with youthful content and create a happy mood.
Taste Of Love was considered as one of the best Kpop’s summer albums. Other tracks on the album, such as Scandal, Baby Blue Love, SOS, and others, all have their own distinct features, as well as a laid-back, carefree melody that builds to modest but luxurious climaxes. It is this success of Taste Of Love that has brought TWICE a relatively high score of 7.3 – on par with f(x) and 2NE1‘s albums.
As for BLACKPINK, it’s a pity that the group’s latest Korean album, The Album, was not scored by Pitchfork. The Kill This Love album, published in 2019, is the only one of the four girls’ albums to receive a Pitchfork rating. BLACKPINK received a “modest” score of 6.2 for this album. This is a poor score when compared to TWICE and Red Velvet, nevertheless Kill This Love once dominated both domestic and foreign charts.
Pitchfork music critic Michelle Kim gave the review of BLACKPINK‘s album, saying: “Though BLACKPINK can sing and dance with precision, the production of Kill This Love is also weirdly dated, like it was crafted earlier in the decade and then forgotten in a time capsule for five years. “Don’t Know What to Do” could have been a great pop song when EDM songs with acoustic guitar like Flo Rida’s “Whistle” were topping the charts or when that dolphin-flute synth sound was all the rage.”
– Taste Of Love deserves that score and more than that, every song on this album sounds good. It’s the hard work that TWICE’s members created together. All of them participated in writing lyrics and contributing ideas.
– Why do we have to compare their achievements in an article about their music quality? Red Velvet also won an award at the Korean Music Awards – the most prestigious music award in Korea – and was nominated many times.
– I feel dissatisfied with the Pitchfork score for the album ‘Kill This Love’. In my opinion, this album should be given a higher rating.
– There are dozens of b-side songs that broke the title of BLACKPINK. And ‘Taste Of Love’ must be the top of the top.
– The album 2 years ago is incomparable but still enough to beat two flop groups in digital, views, streams, on top Billboard 100, 200…. Compared to the same time of release, it’s enough to see how great BLACKPINK is. The common point of the other two groups is that their title cannot =amke it to the top 5 of daily Melon.
– Even if the score is high, flop is always flop.
– Pitchfork score is based on the discography of ‘The Perfect Velvet’, so obviously, it will be more strict with Red Velvet, if the score is easy, this album could be 7+.
– Comparing two albums this year with albums from 2 years ago, Pitchfork must be so proud of it :)
