“Armageddon – The 1st Album” by aespa: All 10 songs ranked

While Armageddon starts off strong with K-pop singles “Supernova” and the title track, third track “Set the Tone” feels like a jarring left turn. The catchy hip-hop track brings exciting synthesizer punches to the production, but ultimately doesn't feel as successful or convincing for a performance from the aespa members.

With such a unique song title and compositional work that is so satisfyingly crisp, a song about the joy of group chat is a bit overflowing with too many messages and aespa will bring much more interesting topics to other songs in Armageddon.

A sweet fan anthem dedicated to aespa's MYs, “Melody” brings a lovely piano for the members to sing directly to their supporters: “You make me feel so lucky,” they sing. “Because you are MY whole world.” It's a fitting way to close out aespa's first full-length album, and it feels like a bit of a throwback to a trend of classic K-pop albums of the past that tend to end with a fan track and slow down the tempo.

An unexpected tropical vibe takes over halfway through with “BAHAMA” as track No. 6 to show that aespa is, once again, never going to deliver a taste but instead to showcase their range, even more so in full length.

Opening with an addictive rock-pop hook, “Licorice” is about a love unlike anything you've experienced before. They croon, “Tastes so sweet but sour / Oh, sugar and spice… / You're like licorice.”

Despite aespa's metaverse concept and larger personas, we love hearing them lean into their human side in “Prologue.” In a deceptively optimistic pop production, the girls face the difficulties and messiness of growing up, admitting stress, disappointments and loss of passion. But hearing the aespa ladies declare, “Baby, I'm weird, I know” on the chorus is extremely refreshing and makes the listener feel like maybe we're all more alike than we realize.

A sure future concert favorite, “Live My Life” brings a rock edge to the past in the aespa music world. Embracing those who dare to be different and dream, the empowerment anthem feels like what aespa's first original English single 'Life's Too Short' should have been — bold, exciting and makes it clear why they're so different just like 'Live My Life » in reference to “Life's Too Short” which sounded like aespa trying to fit into Top 40 radio powerhouse with a safe, acoustic pop sound.

As the lead single from aespa's first full-length album, “Armageddon” does a great job of being a true statement piece. The harder hip-hop sheen feels like a fitting progression from earlier singles and allows the quartet to deliver more confidence and highlight their strength as a group. The unexpected parts of the song, like the pre-chorus of “Bang chitty bang bang” or the hums in the chorus, slowly stick in the listeners' heads and eventually become some of the most memorable parts of the track. Another unexpected but thoroughly welcome moment comes in the ludicrous outro where aespa can be heard signaling the next phase of their pop invasion, telling listeners, “Warning: All Night”.

With the same icy coolness as some of aespa's more experimental tracks, “Mine” should become one of the best K-pop b-sides in 2024 thanks in no small part to a fascinating mix of vocal distortions and effects used . The members' voices go from dark and deep to glossy and sweet as they sing about facing their inner demons, with the lyrical and production choices adding a deeper layer to the song's overall meaning.

aespa couldn't have asked for a better start to this album. A shimmering cosmic dance track, Supernova' introduces this new chapter of Aespa's narrative into their new universe and opens doors to a whole new dimension. Showcasing the rap styles of KARINA and GISELLE with WINTER and NINGNING at their best, “Supernova” sounds like the kind of track only aespa could pull off, making it even more perfect for a return to form. Additionally, the additional swirling synths that join midway through the second verse are a final cherry to show how “Supernova” doesn't use copy-paste types — a staple in aespa's strongest musical moments with this new track a shining jewel in their K-pop crowns.