The Kulture Study: Red Velvet 'Cosmic' MV 

10 years in and they're still all killers, no fillers. Flawless discography!

“They’re tryna kill this boy” is a pretty good summary of RV discography lol

headphones aren't enough. i need to eat this song

Red Velvet matches with the daylight horror concept of Midsommar PERFECTLY! Something that is very bright and happy looking juxtaposed against creepy cult happenings, it’s just perfect and 100% matches the song as well!

If you look closely, in the chair scene the “girl” actually has blue lips while the reve members have pink lips, so the girl is dead dead

THEIR BRIDGES ALWAYS SOUND SO HEAVENLYYYY!!!!

My queens of being creepy as fuck while being glamorous and ethereal NEVER fail

Still get chills in that final chorus even after many listens. I think this might be my favorite title since Psycho and Ive loved everything in between

definitely giving ABBA vibes, it has very nostalgic sound that made me emotional. i love it

From what I understand, this is the direct reference to Midsommer movie. The plot goes as: Someone from a foreign place got lost and arrived to the RV’s cult. Seulgi witnessed it and alerted the members then they brought the lost person to the cult. Then they treated the person with such care and luxury of theirs as they are now an important part of the sacrificial ritual. The person started to notice these unusual kind treatments started peeking around. The dresses they were hanging seem to be of those who were sacrificed before and they were hanging them in the honor of them. That freaked out the person and they ran but got caught again. All the smiling shots you see of them are genuine because they are so excited and happy to perform the ritual. Once they’ve caught the person, they sacrificed them along with RV members just like in Midsommer. That’s why Joy was seen tearing up, both out of happiness and sadness of being scarified. After they’ve performed the ritual, they were able to their cosmic horror of a god. The last scene of them dancing in white seems like the afterlife of those who were scarified in a heavenly place of some sort. Let me know what you think of too. I love this MV and would love to hear your take on it too.

Joy worked very hard on this comeback! She petitioned for this, their 10 year anniversary album, to be full of what makes Red Velvet...Red Velvet! She even did a power point presentation, lol. So the fact that you said that this is a very Red Velvet thing, that's entirely the point ! :D Thank you, Joy, for your hard work!

It is inspired by Midsommar actually, it even says it at the end on the bottom but it was blocked by the captions, that's why it also gives you ABBA vibes, plus Moonshine produced this and they're also from Sweden, it's basically a Swedish themed comeback lol. Also, the pre-chorus, literally NOBODY does pre-choruses like Red Velvet, the synths, the vocals with the harmonies, AMAZING. Red Velvet are truly the queens of concepts like this and no one can pull this off the way they do, legends.

I fell in love with the chorus and it made me cry (I find it very nostalgic)....makes sense that people are describing it with ABBA vibes.

This MV mixes the "kill someone to make a ritual" vibes from "Peek-A-Boo" and the sisterhood in the cult from "Psycho", with the wholesome creepy and weird feeling chorus structure that also happened in "Chill Kill". Also, they using the summer queens throne to give basically an homage to Sweden, with the Midsommar aesthetic and Abba CLEAR sonic references, is wholesome too, considering the major part of RV's singles have production and/or credits from people like Sunshine and Moonshine (who produced "Cosmic" along with the all-mighty Kenzie). Also, I think ReacttotheK should explain why the chorus make me cry EVERY-TIME I listen to this song. Just incredible. One bittersweet note: as SM always fumbles with Red Velvet, since Feel My Rhythm I feel that every comeback from RV could be the last, and "Cosmic" has that disco vibes that "MAGO" had and the disbandment fear creeps in, but I trust in the cake girls that are going to fight to keep Red Velvet alive.

IMO, RV might not be the most commercially successful 3rd gen, but they are the rightful torch carrier for SNSD.

I cry every time I hear the bridge and the final chorus.

it’s not an exaggeration to say this is the greatest song ever made

16:14 they used the radial blur as a storytelling tool. just like in the movie Midsommar the protagonist was drugged by the cult to brainwash her so she was in a psychedelic trip, and from her pov everything is spinning and the flowers on the flower crowns that the cult members were wearing were moving. in the mv we’re seeing seulgi from the girl’s pov, and you can see the background is spinning and the flowers on seulgi’s crown are moving

I've read that Joy proposed MV idea was members travel to another planet finding their love, matches the teaser that at end they all disappeared.

As a swede it made me happy to see them celebrate our holiday and wear our cultural/traditional clothing. Seeing them run around in the white dresses and flower crowns made me nostalgic for when I was younger and running around the midsommarstång. Also I like that they uploaded the video two days after midsommar. ❤️😊🫶

I cry myself ugly the first time I listened to this song. There's something about the bridge it is so overwhelming sending shivers down to my spine 😭😭😭😭

This has to be one of my all-time favorite RV title tracks. immaculate video and the SONG itself. The melody, the vocals, the production. Everything is so ethereal and also ominous and siren-like. Like, I'd let them recruit me into a cult with this song. The video was,,, indescribable. Your thoughts and comments are spot on. I love everything about it. I haven't loved a RV song this much since Feel My Rhythm, In My Dreams, and BAMBOLEO. Top tier Red Velvet vibes to me. I am in love with Cosmic and Night Drive.

Uncontrollable grin on my face the entire MV. Sounds so gooooood

This song blew me away. It's really cool to hear someone mention ABBA because I was definitely getting a retro vibe from this!

this is the most beautiful kpop song in this year so far

Favorite group of all time. Nobody else gives of these vibes. While also making amazing songs and Bsides

Idk if it matters, but KENZIE composed the song (same as SNSD's ITNW) so for me it gives me that just 'bright' feeling

" oh yeah, they're trynna kill this boy"😅 I mean, it's Red Velvet, of course they are 😂

i love how red velvet is so glamorously creepy,,, it’s EVERYTHING to me

I've been having a lot of dry spells in the last year of being a bit disappointed or underwhelmed with Kpop comebacks, but my god this song makes my heart flutter. So haunting and bright at the same time. Seulgi is so bewitching 🌟✴

I was waiting for PD's reaction since the MV went out! My theory is that the girl is literally a star. A fallen star and they did sacrificed her at the end.

If there is one group that can pull off Midsommar, it’s definitely Red Velvet. I can’t think of anyone else.

this cb is a full tribute to sweeden. the song has abba vibes to it and the mv is a midsommar inspired 😅

One thing that makes Red Velvet special is how they convey the emotions of the song through their vocals effectively. And adding a cult-themed music video to that emotion-filled song is just so amazing. This is why I never regret stanning Red Velvet. 💓💛💙💚💜

Red Velvet Cosmic Sounds Like A beautiful and very well produced song from the behind the scenes recording of Wendy and Seugli vocals

The "riding your rhythm, through the solar system" post chorus really reminded me of ABBA hence why I'm so happy when someone actually think the same! I love this comeback so much, the theme, the song, the mv, excellent! Btw ABBA did have few songs with "dark" lyrics (eg. If It Wasn't For The Night, The Visitors) Thank you so much for this reaction, PD!

i love how you deep analysed the MV!! the girls said there's really so much meaning behind every scene

If you look at the end of the MV when the text says “cosmic love”, at the bottom behind the subtitles it also says “this mv is inspired by the film misdommer”

ICC, Psycho, FMR, Chill Kill and Cosmic. These are my star songs of RV 🤩

CHILLS. up and down my body.

Red velvet remind Kpop isn’t kpop without red velvet

what i love about Red Velvet is that, they know their sound. they know their music. looking back, from Happiness to Cosmic, their concepts are really different from each other but you can still see their sound they are trying to keep. also, really, their art references are insane. Red Velvet is both art and pop music

I've been waiting for your reaction especially with the symbolism, imagery and the shots taken in this MV. I agree it likes making the ABBA sound bright as it is but also creepy and dark. They will never be able to get rid of Red Velvet is a cult. That table scene with the flowers on their eyes was just creepy even if it there were shots of their beautiful visuals. They absolutely killed this. This has got to be one of my favorites. I was taken by Psycho. That was my gateway into the RV rabbit hole and Cosmic is make Psycho a summer song with an ABBA spirit and their trademark creepy queens. Gore and horror is for amateurs, this is getting under your skin and being disturbed in a more primal level. Love the shout out to CMR and I am waiting for them to deepdive on this as well.

After all these years following them, RV still manages to make me fall in love with their music a little more with each new release. Cosmic's chorus hits me so, so hard it's one of the most beautiful song I've heard in a long time. I am so in love with it. I'm almost certain what I'm about to say is purely recency bias because I'm still in the honeymoon phase but this may be my favourite RV title. I am so in love with it.

4:13 YUP EXACTLY !!

I believe you were right at first. The girl is to become May Queen, representation of the sun, that is, worshiped--she literally becomes the sun at the 2:55 mark. [SPOILER] Paralleling the movie Midsommar, the May Queen is not killed but kind of "forcefully" integrated into the cult. If anyone is sacrificed it could be RV themselves, willfully, in the sacrificial house (paralleling the movie again.) There's be a lot more that seems to confirm this interpretation but... I could also be completely wrong. To me it's a typical and clever subversion of expectation with regards to RV's usual narrative ark. It starts dark and ominous to end in a celebration. Also the girl is you, me, the viewer, the fan. Notice the use of 1st person perspective. Hope this gives some food for thought even if we disagree ;)

The music video is so beautiful, and every time I watch it I find something new that contributes to the story telling. The music video making does have so many more scenes that the music video doesn’t have. There’s one scene where the members are dressing up the sacrifice, and I really wish they included it (unless they did put it in and I missed it). There’s also the dress they hang up in the tree in the same room they dance in, and I think the sacrifice is also wearing the same dress as they spin around the pole. The members themselves said some scenes are missing, and while I wish there was more the story is pretty clear with room for interpretation!!

The song kept growing on me after I first heard it now I’m obsessed but dang the mv is insane!

The production in this video is magnificent, the song writers exude this fantastic melody whe never could dream about, this is next level in any creative way. Every little detail has been taken care, it's a full 10 song.

10 years into their career and they’re still putting out amazing concepts and songs that only red velvet can do. i love them so much 🩷💛💙💚💜

this is the goddamn best song this 2024 i've heard.

this song fills my soul with joy in inexplicable ways, the bridge is the most magical thing. and the mv, the inspiration in midssomar is simply art, i'm so proud of them.

I will always appreciate SM artists releasing songs over 3 minute mark and they are really consistent with their groups' sound and musical identity.

Red Velvet is so good with thier vocals wow.

We ReVeluvs were all waiting for your reaction to this. It's my favorite comeback from Red Velvet ever. SM also released a making of vid, which is super interesting in that it showcases the way they captured all of the cool shots that you pointed out.

the dresses appear to be stars, which represent what RV members have become, and the captive's sacrifice turns her into a new star as she falls into the disco cult's domain. then they all get to dance around the maypole together in the end cause they're in the same state of blissful renewal. indeed, a band seeking renewal (comebacks) through the induction and devotion of fans.

For a full week or so I was wating for this. The song and video is a masterpiece. PD ..you're the man

The art that opens the video is a direct homage to "Midsommar". The movie opens with a folkloric art tableau that actually shows you what the characters are about to go through. (If you haven't seen the movie, actually the shot with the girls having the flowers covering their eyes evokes one of the most horrific images in the film.) The director is Hyein Lee and during filming, she'd always refer to the hostage as "the human".

The bridge is INSANE! Red velvet will never disappoint

That bridge live is heaven 🥺

Their songs are so ingenious, they surprise me every time. I love how the lyrics are so poetic.

Aside from Midsommar, the cinematography kinda reminded me of Sharp Objects too, very feminine and "pretty" but super creepy and morbid. They killed it, Cosmic is up there with Psycho for me.

True.... I love you said that the red velvet is aesthetic in their mv. I love the drawings in the intro mv, like all the legendary drawing from the feel my rhythm references combine with this drawings.

You and React to the K are my top 2 channels for reactions because of how much I learn (direction, composition, language, etc.).

I need this to get more attention bc its a literal MASTERPIECE!

I agree this might be their best music video ever!!!

WHATTT IN THE MIDSOMMER ITS THIS!!??? 😅😅😅😅 God damn it Red Velvet is just different. Always been always will, this is what i expect from Red Velvet after all this years their music is just one of a kind its their own thing and so far no other group have manage to copy it. We are so bless to have them in the kpop its just makes me apreciate them more before its too late. They were the second group that introduced me to Kpop many years ago and im so happy and proud how far they've come.

I cried so hard during the whole MV

Rv will release a song today, 6pm kst. Sweet dreams, its a fan song, for their 10th anniversary.

red velvet is truly one of a kind!!!!!!

the first time i heard the song i was also confused by it, but it grew on me so much! definitely one of their prettiest title tracks (and videos!!)

There are certian reactors that I really look forward to because there are only a few who really "get" what Red Velvet does and truly understand what kind of group they are. PD is one of them. One thing I've noticed is that it's people who are creators in their own right who really understand this group the best. You did not diapoint.

This comeback is just AMAZING, and the whole album is perfection

So happy you reacted to this song! I knew you were gonna love it 🤭❤

I absolutely love your reactions, especially to Red Velvets videos. This video did give me the chills more than any other RV video before. I am so proud of these ladies and everyone behind the scenes with production; music & visuals. ❤

Never thought this Midsommar thing could be that pretty 😂 loved this song 🎶 ❤

Love this new setup, it's nice the way you're positioned so that it looks like we're both watching the PIP :)

not to mind this is one of their best mvs ever, but the SONG!!!!! i think so far as the verses it's not their strongest but the chorus is just insane, like an absolute masterpiece and it doesn't get old no matter how many times i listen to it. i think it might be my favorite chorus in all of their discography, if not like top 10 kpop choruses ever. also can we talk about how beautiful the lyrics are?

Their songs is very very good the quality is very WOW and the mv director always gives us great mv. 😊

Even though I think it's a bit weird to comment on this even though it's been 2 weeks already, here's my take on this. If you take both the mv and lyrics into account it feels like this is about obsession. Wendy's lines 'Hey, what did you do to my mind' and 'I just can't say goodnight' lead me to this conclusion. I don't think it's a coincidence this mv was released on the longest day of the year, especially with the 'I just can't say goodnight'. The person that falls into the glass and turns into the sun probably isn't coincidence either. They're talking about cosmic love, and what do you know, the sun is in the cosmos. I think the person being sacrificed is the sun. Since they just can't say goodnight, they took the sun for themselves so it will eternally be morning. The chorus also seems to be trying to coax the person, or the sun, into staying with 'How about you stay a little longer? My star says she's feeling a little bit lonely. I'll play this hidden song to you, if you let me`. So, if my take is true, Cosmic is like the opposite of Chill Kill. Chill Kill is about the abrupt change in your life and accepting it, whilst Cosmic is about refusing to let that change happen by taking what they want for themselves.

Awesome reaction. I've been waiting for you to comment. It's a great visual and musical production.

the chorus is so happy and haunting at the same time and i’m here for it!!!!!

The best mv reaction so far

Top-notch MV !! Top-notch track !!!

Love this track, Red Velvet is perfect as usual

I don't know which I hate more, the placement of the subtitles or the disclaimer for Midsommar. Most people miss it coz of the subtitles.

I love your appreciation of their talent. Thank you for the reaction! Always a pleasure. 💚💛🩵💖💜

your videos always make me appreciate these a lot more! i had chills the whole time. red velvet's artistry is so interesting.

musicality, vocality, visuality, story line, I never skipped even a second of your explanation 👌👌

It’s the right amount of velvet and red I always except from my girls🤍 enough to say I’m amazed and feel blessed with wendys high note. The mv itself leaves you speechless with the whole midsommar concept

the second i heard that chorus i was like "oh we are so back" not that they went anywhere but it's like man how do they do it every time?

100% about the abba vibes I felt the same thing, I thought about dancing queen in certain parts

It's a love letter to the fandom, the girl or the boy falling it's us falling into red velvet, it doesn't scary me, it makes me feel like a part of a community actually some kpop fandoms feel like a cult

omg. my favorites. wow. im amazed. hon sjunger för mig. du gillar det! vilken reaktion! wow, hehe. lajk och sub

I love how the may queen was the one that chose the victims in midsommar but in rv's mv they put their own twist on it and the may queen was the one that was sacrificed

The fact that red velvet still gives us surprises every time they make a comeback is a testament itself

Yes! the genuinely smiling and laughing is the first i noticed watching this mv. It's so creepy I love it

The MV 💯💯 The track 💯💯

I adore them, definitely unique; red velvets concepts are my dream aesthetic

Based on a few explanations Joy gave about this cosmic love concept, it seems like the girl in the beginning falling down into where RV is represent someone falling in love which is a whole new world and RV is kinda initiating her kinda? it's like she can't scape love u know. Even the clothes hanging as if many other people have been trapped into this place (in love)... idk that's what I interpreted from it. The song is just fenomenol and that Wendy "I just can't say goodnight" line brings me to tears every single time.