Welcome back to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, followers, and newbies. Today, let's take a closer look at aespa's new music.. As always, if you enjoy what you're reading, feel free to subscribe Head over to my complimentary newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered straight to your inbox every week!
Since his debut in 2020, aespa has had a knack for releasing incredible title tracks. They constantly make waves with their singles like “Drama” and “Armageddon,” sweeping social media with catchy snippets of various choruses and dynamic choreography.
As they prepare for a US tour in 2025 (get tickets here), aespa have returned with their fifth mini-album, Lash. aespa now joins LE SSERAFIM in the elite category of “K-pop releases of 2024 that from now on I will demand to be played in the club”: LE SSERAFIM achieved it with “CRAZY” and aespa is now in the ring with “Whiplash.”
For Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning, leaning into hyperpop is nothing new. Their concept as a group, after all, has always included the futuristic and cyberpunk. They started playing with concepts like the metaverse and AI before the technologies were anywhere near where they are now; aespa always felt that they existed at the forefront.
With Lashand the title track in particular, aespa balances that penchant for the experimental and modern with the classic qualities of a great pop tune. These four don't mess around when it comes to delivering great vocal performances within the controlled chaos of the performances and intense choreography, and while “Whiplash” doesn't have as many of the more demanding vocal moments found on tracks like “Black Mamba” or “ Spicy”, harmonies still take priority whenever possible. The clubby verses feel adjacent to 2NE1’s iconic “I Am the Best.”
Some K-pop groups feel called to make big changes or reinvent themselves from one release to the next, and it's refreshing to see the aespa team feel comfortable moving forward with the girls right here in their strike zone. Four years into their story, they're still finding ways to make their take on hyperpop refreshing – listen to “Whiplash” below, if you haven't already, and get ready to meet me at the club.
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