Red Velvet has returned with its first full-group release in more than two years, putting out the five-track mini album “Velvet Summer” on August 3 through SM Entertainment. The record’s title track, “Surfin’ Boy,” leans into a noticeably slower, more mature sound than the high-energy summer anthems the group built its reputation on, and by the morning of August 4 KST, the album had climbed to No. 1 on iTunes Top Albums charts in more than a dozen countries and regions, including Denmark, Sweden, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, according to Soompi.
“Velvet Summer” is Red Velvet’s first release as a complete five-member unit — Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri — since 2024’s “Cosmic,” following two years in which members focused largely on solo and subunit projects. The comeback also lands during the group’s 12th anniversary year; Red Velvet celebrated the milestone at a sold-out three-day fan concert, “A Day in Red & Velvet,” held July 31 through August 2 at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul, where the group performed “Surfin’ Boy” and B-side track “Hula Hoop” live for the first time.
Where past summer singles such as “Red Flavor,” “Power Up” and “Umpah Umpah” leaned on bright, high-tempo production, “Surfin’ Boy” takes a different approach, built around laid-back bossa nova guitar, relaxed reggae rhythms and a polished house groove. Member Joy wrote the song’s lyrics on her own, crafting a narrative about revisiting a summer’s brightest memories while looking forward to making new ones. Speaking to The Korea Times, Seulgi said she could hear Red Velvet’s voices in the demo the moment she heard it, adding that the group’s earlier summer songs were “intense and full of energy,” while this one captures “a more ‘velvety’ summer mood, like watching the sunset over a beach rather than standing under the midday sun.”
The rest of the EP moves through a broader range of styles. “Hot Girls Cold Vibe,” written and composed by longtime Red Velvet collaborator Kenzie, is a pop-dance track built on an insistent bass line and shifting tempos. “Orchestra” reimagines composer Henry Mancini’s “Lujon,” layering classical instrumentation over an unhurried rhythm for what several early reviews described as one of the record’s standout moments. “Hula Hoop” is a mid-tempo pop track with bright guitar and piano, while closer “Hawaii,” also written solely by Joy, is built around acoustic guitar and organic percussion. Wendy, also speaking to The Korea Times, described the album’s overall mood by noting that summer includes both its “hot, vibrant moments” and quieter days when “you just want to do nothing and take it slow” — a duality she said “Velvet Summer” was built to capture.
Reviews from &ASIAN and United By Pop both praised the EP’s more restrained, cohesive tone compared with the group’s earlier seasonal releases, with both singling out “Orchestra” as a standout track. A review from Kpopreviewed took a more mixed view of the title track specifically, praising the vocal performance on the bridge but arguing that parts of “Surfin’ Boy” felt unnecessarily rushed. The album’s chart performance has been stronger than the reviews were mixed: alongside its iTunes wins, “Velvet Summer” also topped digital album sales charts on China’s QQ Music and KuGou Music platforms.
Red Velvet followed the album’s release with a performance at the 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer on August 9 at KINTEX in Goyang, where the group performed “Surfin’ Boy,” bringing the record’s more relaxed sound to a major televised festival stage alongside acts including ATEEZ, Stray Kids, RIIZE and BABYMONSTER.