Automatic (Red Velvet song)
"Automatic" is a song recorded by South Korean girl group Red Velvet for their debut extended play Ice Cream Cake. Written and produced by Daniel "Obi" Klein & Charli Taft with Korean lyrics adaptation by lyricist Choi So-young of Jam Factory, the contemporary R&B track was released as the group's first single from the EP on March 14, 2015 by SM Entertainment, along with an accompanying music video. It marks their first release as a quintet since the addition of member Yeri, and also the group's second single to follow their "Velvet" concept following "Be Natural" in October 2014.
Upon its release, the song has been regarded as one of the group's signature "Velvet" songs and received positive reviews from music critics due to its sultry and minimal production. Commercially, the song charted moderately on both the Gaon Digital Chart and US Billboard World Digital Songs, peaking at number thirty-two and number nine respectively.
Background and release
Prior to the official comeback announcement, Red Velvet was spotted filming in a desert just outside of Palmdale, California for a music video in February 2015 with then SM Rookies member Yeri. On March 11, 2015, S.M. Entertainment officially introduced Yeri as a new member of Red Velvet through a video uploaded on their YouTube channel, along with image teasers from member Irene and Joy. On the same day, they revealed the title of the group's first album to be Ice Cream Cake, which would be released on March 18, 2015. The official video for "Automatic" was then uploaded on the official SMTOWN channel on March 15, with its official digital release on March 17.Composition
Musically, Billboard's Jeff Benjamin described "Automatic" as a "slow-burning, Janet Jackson-esque R&B jam" which represents the group's Velvet side, while IZMs Kim Do-hyun cited the song as an example for contemporary 90s R&B with influence from neo-soul. As a result, the song falls in the "Velvet" category, which started with the group's last digital release. It was composed in the key of F minor with a tempo of 180 beat-per-minute.The song marks Red Velvet's first collaboration with producers Daniel "Obi" Klein and British singer-songwriter Charli Taft, who would later produce several songs for them. The song was written by Klein and Taft on the latter's first trip to Seoul, after S.M. Entertainment invited her to join songwriting camps at SM Studios. Lyrically, the song tells how "natural" and "automatic" the senses and feelings of a girl come just by the touch of her lover, with the opening monologue "How do you like this to be?/Natural and automatic for you" referring to both their first Velvet song "Be Natural" and "Automatic".
Music video and promotion
The music video for "Automatic" was directed by Shin Hee-won, who would later direct again for their singles "One of These Nights", "Russian Roulette" and "Rookie". It featured all five members in a softer and more mature image, "showcasing sensual choreography at a dimly lit dinner table". It was intended to show the contrast between their sophisticated "Velvet" concept and the bright, bubbly theme from "Ice Cream Cake"As part of Ice Cream Cake's promotions, a shortened version of "Automatic" was performed live during the first promotion week on M Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo music show respectively. The song was then performed with full choreography for the first time during Red Velvet's first concert Red Room in August 2017.
Critical reception
Following its initial release, "Automatic" has received positive reviews from critics and have become one of the group's signature "Velvet" songs. While Jeff Benjamin of Billboard magazine called the song "a slow-burning, Janet Jackson-esque R&B jam that positions them as sultry sirens", Kim Do-hyun of IZM highlighted the song as one of the critics' picks and called it "a surely implemented R&B track." In addition to the review of follow-up single "Ice Cream Cake", Jakob Dorof of Spin magazine praised the track as "a recent winner" for both the group and its home label. Jacques Peterson of Idolator ranked it 22nd on "The 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015" list, calling the song a stand-out due to its "minimalist R&B beat" and "melancholy sensuality".| Critic/Publication | List | Rank | |
| Reddit K-Pop | 2015 Award for Best R&B Song | 1 |
Chart performance
Following the digital release of its parental extended play, "Automatic" attained moderate commercial success, peaking at number 32 and 16 on Gaon Digital Chart and Gaon Download Chart during the third week of March 2015, respectively. Furthermore, it also charted at number 94 on the Gaon Monthly Digital Chart and number 68 on the Gaon Monthly Download Chart for March 2015, with total sales of 71,844 digital units. The song has since reached more than 80,000 downloads, as of April 2015.Elsewhere, the song debuted and peaked at number 9 on US Billboard World Digital Song, making it their fourth entry and at the time, their lowest peak position on the chart. It was later surpassed by their 2017 SM Station single "Rebirth", which debuted and peaked at number 25 on the World Digital Chart.