[8] While in the United States, f(x) flew to Los Angeles to rehearse choreography for the upcoming album with choreographer Kevin Maher.

[9] While in Los Angeles, the group also filmed a sketch with Anna Kendrick for comedy website Funny or Die.

[10] While backstage the group did an interview with the Mnet America show "Danny From L.A.", during which members Amber and Krystal Jung stated they were working on choreography for a new song but had "no idea" when it was due to be released.

[13] Many music commented that contrary to the dominant contemporary K-pop releases of singles and EPs, Pink Tape was a cohesive full-length album that brought forth a refreshing listening experience.

[4][14] It is an amalgam of synth-driven pop styles including electropop and synth-pop,[15] with experimental touches drawing from electronica.

[14] Pitchfork critic Sheldon Pearce described the album as a "a pop collage of ambitious sounds and ideas that tinkered with K-pop formulas".

[15][19] Its lyrics compare the exciting yet also painful sensation of a first love to that of having a wisdom tooth, which is also reflected in its Korean title's literal meaning.

[18] Electronic and dance-pop are the styles of "Airplane" and "Step";[6] the former compares the feeling of falling in and out of love to a plane ride, and the latter incorporates house rhythms and saxophone melodies.

[23] That day SM uploaded a film onto their official YouTube account,[23] which contained a behind-the-scenes video showing the photo shoot for the album's jacket and previewed the track "Shadow".

[6] Billboard hailed Pink Tape the greatest K-pop album of the 2010s, with Jeff Benjamin writing that it "proved the power of a full, sonically cohesive album, as a truly ambitious collection of experimental cuts"; showcasing "even the most mainstream of pop could be a place for advancing art and pushing creative boundaries.