Monster by Red Velvet, Irene & Seulgi and why it’s a creepy, edm-pop masterpiece.

An analysis by a music student of over a decade.

This song has been produced by some the most legendary names in Kpop. And it lives up to it’s expectations. The song is perfect for it’s theme “monster”. There are many musical horror elements inserted into the song, ones from the now and some from centuries ago, so let’s begin.

1. The hook.
This is the sound fans dub as “meow meow” which is prevalent through the entire chorus and makes a cameo in some of the verses, this is, a melody sampled from the famous Freddy Krueger’s Theme, which appears in The Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

Freddy Krueger’s Theme

What’s different about IS’s version is that they used a different instrument, a synth meant to emulate the sound of Siren Head which became popular in 2018.

This synth is also closely tied to a classic horror instrument, The Apprehension Engine, as shown below.

These are THREE elements of horror tied into one, giving the chorus of IS’s monster it’s eerie vibe and strengthening it’s horror element throughout the song.

The producers are mad genius for bringing so many elements of horror and projecting them into one song and one story.

2. The Piano.
Something evident abt it is that itscontinuous through most of the song, it’s repeated throughout the song along with the Siren Head song. Repetition, is a prevalent theme in horror, as it’s scary to have your worst fear being repeated over and over again.

Ghosts repeating things to victims is also often seen in horror films, and the team behind Monster did an excellent job putting the horror of repetition into the song without making the song repetitive.

The piano also uses a similar key to Annabelle’s music box- which explains why it’s so ridiculously creepy.

3. The Children
Another element of horror, children are creepy. In the beginning of the song and within transitions, you can hear children, some are whimpering, laughing, being generally creepy as hell.

And it makes so much sense why this would be here, a lot of fears we have as adults develop from when we were children and stick with us for a long time.

4. The Dubstep elements
Dubstep, is a very difficult genre to make sound ‘good’, a hit or miss to be put simply when you merge it with pop. Dubstep either lands you with masterpieces or- you end up with noise.

when dabbling around a theme of horror, the producers did a very good job with making the dubstep fit into the theme without ruining the overall quality of the song. Though dubstep isn’t exactly everyones cup of tea- this song just might become your exception

The dubstep is very well blended compared to some other kpop songs i’ve heard. Hopefully this sets and example to other producers who intend to dabble into the genre with other groups.

Overall, The dubstep adds a little “shock” into the song, the way you would shock a dead person with electricity when you’re trying to bring them back. And it’s makes a gorgeous dance break :)

5. The vocal usage.
If you listen closely, after each chorus line, you can hear a small ‘little monster’ that plays, again- they’re playing with the repetition idea- that irene and seulgi are literally going IM A LITTLE MONSTER into your ear over and over again.

The second verse is just SO good, it highlights both of their vocals- and it’s creepy too. Irene’s vocals are layered on top of each other to create this effect that she’s big- that she’s a very strong presence.

This is prevalent in horror films when a character is possessed- their voice becomes double, triple, maybe even more to indicate that there is a separate entity existing within them.

The way they made seulgi sound angrier in this verse is how they write out a story progressing- the first verse was calm and collective, but this more urgent, more warning- a sign that the monster has awakened.

The story of this song is so well told with the vocals paired with the strong instrumentals, they match so well- the team of producers have been working with Red Velvet A LOT and know their voices inside out- and they utilised the best of both Irene and Seul in this whole ALBUM.

As we reach the end of the song, you can hear this very deep voice that blends with Irene and Seulgi when they say “I’m a little monster” . And this voice let’s the listener know- that the monster is here- and it’s closer than you think.

This voice is actually present in all the choruses, but it gets more evident with each one, and for a reason. It’s meant to resemble a monster getting closer and closer, until it reaches you- and you’re done for.

6. The Bass.
This one is my favourite, the bass uses a variation of a very commonly used horror sound- Dies Irae. Dies Irae is a sample used throughout CENTURIES, ever since 1485.

It’s used by Catholic’s during funerals, and has evolved into a significant series of notes in the music world that directly translate to death. The way they used all these intense horror elements and place them upon the bass- the core of horror- death, is a story in itself.

It’s to say that we have so many fears added upon each other- but in the end of the day- death is somehow always the greatest monster.

7. The Bridge
In this bridge, you can hear a distant high pitched sound, that keeps ascending as they sing. It’s actually a really annoying sound if you listen to it alone- the sound is off key. This sound can also be paralleled with a person screaming- and it’s ironic.

Irene is saying she just wants to have a little fun, no bad intentions- but the instrumental is telling otherwise. These girls are psycho’s and we’re living for it.

In the ending, there’s also a high pitched sound that comes in, adding a distinct flavour to the end chorus.

Also, the song is mostly a minor key- and the human ear relates the minor key with sadness and death and other crappy things. this obviously planned to further increase it’s horror themes, and hey- it’s safe to say i am in love with everything about this song.

All in all- this song captures 3 things perfectly- Horror, EDM-pop and Red Velvet. Feel free to add on! And if I find anymore easter eggs i’ll be sure to add on.

Stream Monster!

Hehe unrelated but give my thread about one of my fav vocalist some love https://twitter.com/ggretweeter/status/1279436177276203009?s=20

AN addition!! In the end of the song, there is flute added, based on my interpretation the flute is meant to represent howling of some sort, in the way a werewolf does when it is most powerful, under the full moon :)

Should’ve tagged @RVsmtown goddamnit

Heads up this thread is meant to be about the production of the song and what the producers did to uphold this concept as whole so- I love you kenzie sidkdkfkkfkf