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thesinglesjukebox · 3 months

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CHARLI XCX FT. ROBYN & YUNG LEAN - "THE 360 REMIX"

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17 pop writers out here doing damage...

[5.94]

Taylor Alatorre: Elvis Presley/The Clash/OutKast = iconoclasts become standards, e.g. "Dancing on My Own" in RS 500 Greatest; "Elvis moment" = Eminem c. 2000; "lyrics on your booby" = hip hop mode of dominance over male competitors/listener, but femme-coded; "Robyn on the beat" + muffled "hey!" chants = long tail of DJ Mustard; camera flashes as skeuomorphic e-fame; demographic triangulation as art/alchemy; “no one understands it” + "so carelessly" = indie aesthetic of insularity/self-sabotage, still necessary for branding/coping; cult of the child star = youth’s gravitational hold over memory, easily exploitable; 1994 = beginning of Robyn's career, but also Max Martin's, represented here by apprentice Cirkut; Scandinavia as pop/anti-pop breeding ground; my dad: “cross between Britney Spears/Kesha" = highest possible praise for Charli song; he doesn't even know about "Till the World Ends" or "Die Young" remixes; conspicuous whiteness of collaborators + calculatedly ableist lyric video = winking at Dimes Square reactionary chic, though Benga is on "Von dutch" dubstep remix, and Robyn is Robyn; "pets/family" = emergent Millennial desires for domesticity, cf. "I think about it all the time"; Brat = niche pop stardom as crowdfunded perma-adolescence; Julia Fox in Uncut Gems + True Romance/"Ginseng Strip 2002" = sublimated wish for Eternal 2013, i.e. pre-Ferguson/Gamergate -> future blueprint for Gen Z conservatism? I don't see how I can hate from outside of the club – I can't even get in! [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: “360” is the most complete Charli pop culture moment (and video) we’ve had in years, and “365” perfectly wraps up the confessional, raw moments of Brat in delightful, utter mess. The first time I listened to both, I couldn’t help but think to myself how incredible it is that Charli’s self-reference comes across as effortlessly cool rather than cloying or annoying. I must have spoken too soon, because this remix is awkward. Yung Lean and Robyn sound fine, but “360” removed from the iconic hook is, just, not Julia (ah-ah-ahhhhhh). “Dancing on My Own” is one my favorite songs of all time—yes, I have big feelings—yet that can’t prevent me from cringing a little bit when Robyn references it. Two extra points, though, for Robyn saying the words "email" and “booby.” [7]

Jonathan Bradley: In “360,” Charli XCX has one of her most compelling songs in years: sharp and hooky, drawing on the hyper-pop palette but translating it into reinvented, broad-appeal synth pop. It dispenses with one of the more frustrating tendencies she’s had throughout her career, which is to make concepts rather than songs. “Boys,” for instance, was about the idea of Charli making a song about boys rather than actually evoking love or affection; “1999” was about the idea of ’90s nostalgia rather than anything distinct about the era. The remix of “360" (I won’t bother with the twee titles Charli’s used for Brat's various expansions) loses the focus and efficiency that makes the original so replayable and returns to concepts. It’s Charli with two more artists whose niche and highly online fanbases are noted for enthusiasm rather than size, and they don’t do anything more interesting than provide their names to be credited alongside her. For a posse cut that features each performer finishing one another’s sentences, they have zero chemistry and provide none of what makes their own work special. Robyn should be encouraged to never rap — her cutesy “Konichiwa Bitches” mode is her worst side — and Yung Lean… well, I’m not sure what appeal he usually adds, but he should also be encouraged to never rap. [4]

Andrew Karpan: Rustled up and confusing, neither Robyn nor Yung Lean succeed in turning the Brat opener into a SoundCloud loosie. Instead, their new, rattling voices make the song feel crowded, an email correspondence that pales in comparison to the more movingly distant Lorde remix that quickly overshadowed this glittery mess. [3]

Jackie Powell: What bothers me about this fascinating collaboration is that "360" loses what makes it most compelling. The original "360" is essentially a slice-of-life song. It paints a subculture and a social circle incredibly well and showcases Charli XCX’s ability to manipulate vowel sounds and write with such assonance and consonance. She’s a magician with how she can manipulate the name Julia (as in Julia Fox) into an earworm or an aria. Charli, Robyn (!) and Yung Lean definitely vocally complement one another. Lean’s rapping almost acts like a baseline, while Charli and Robyn harmonize with each other, talk-singing more than rapping during their respective verses. It’s also quite amusing when Lean hops into a pre-chorus that is supposed to pay tribute to Ciara’s "1, 2 Step" like the "360" original, but instead just sounds like an interpolation of Pitbull’s “Hotel Room Service”: When Lean says “supersonic, push up on it, right in your ear,” he sounds eerily similar to when Pitbull raps “we at the hotel, motel, holiday inn.” But what’s disappointing about the remix is that it’s so much less clever than the original: it's less redundant, but it doesn’t have as much purpose and direction. Also, I’m not sure how much of a remix this is when the only thing that remains is the instrumental. [6]

Harlan Talib Ockey: One of the great things about Brat is that Charli went in assuming she was talking to her closest friends, who know the world she moves in and the life she lived in the late ‘00s club scene. Hyperpop has always been obsessed with nostalgia, but this isn’t just about old pop and internet esthetics. It’s about Charli’s own experiences. “The 360 remix” only kind of carries this over for Robyn and Yung Lean. “Three child stars out here doing damage” sounds like it’s about to crack open an interesting train of thought, but it quickly veers back into "we got many hits,” rather than anything more revealing about their past or present. This remix also doesn’t reach the heights of the original (a [7], btw) without its soaring chorus; because the same riff underpins the whole song, it starts to feel like one very long verse. Plus: “now my lyrics on your booby”? [4]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The most extravagant act of self-mythologizing this side of the J. Lo autobiopic — I'm not quite as impressed by these three as they are, but I'm meta-level impressed that they managed to get in this many boasts in such a compact passage. Robyn sounds diminished relative to her standards, while Lean sounds enlivened after his recent stay in the Drain Gang Post Punk mines. Charli hits right down the middle — so it's up to A.G. Cook to pick up the slack, delivering one of his best beats since the heyday of PC Music. The taut synth riff sneaks perfectly in between the overlapping vocals, at once accentuating and playing foil to the melody. It's unspeakably stylish, cool enough to cover up what is ultimately a threadbare song. [7]

Katherine St. Asaph: The thing about pandering to nostalgia -- there are people who formed their personalities around Charli and Body Talk, and I'm sure Yung Lean was formative for someone -- is that it inherently causes listeners to think about the things they're nostalgic for. And this sounds like "Fembot" running on energy saver mode. [3]

Julian Axelrod: "The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook" is the sound of one pop scoundrel passing the torch to another and burning down the song from the inside. "The girl, so confusing version with lorde" is a parasocial inversion of its source material, deepening and resolving its initial conflict. By contrast, "The 360 remix with robyn and yung lean" is ... fun! And a little silly! And very Swedish! Charli's always been a pop nerd at heart, which is both her secret weapon and the reason she will never know peace. No pop star in their right mind would think, "I must turn my biggest single into a '90s boy band B-side where Robyn sings about her boobs and Yung Lean interpolates JJ Fad." That's the kind of sick shit only a stan would dream up. If this remix feels less essential than its brethren, it's because the original is such a complete statement on its own. It's easier to fill in the cracks on an album cut than build upon perfection. [7]

Brad Shoup: Huge whiff to not go the "I Got Five On It (remix)" route and make this a true Swedish pop posse cut. Rednex can take a lap as the best band with a fiddler since Alabama. Whale gets their flowers for putting on the hobo' humpin' slobo girlies. Army of Lovers can take credit for... damn near anything they want. Get Petra Marklund bragging about changing the trance-pop game. (It would be a nice 360 moment.) As it is, this remix ends up a tribute to Robyn with some Ciara/Missy love tossed in. Lean takes the "1, 2 Step" baton from the Charli in the original, though he's never more engaged than when he's acknowledging that yes, Robyn's on the beat. That might not be true in all senses, but the couplet "I started so young, I didn't even have email/Now my—lyrics on your booby" was totally worth the wait. Charli's line about "three child stars out here doing damage" is really smart, really canny. Better than anyone I can think of, she embodies the child star's soul war: the twin impulses to dial into shimmering subcultures and to just phone it in. [6]

Nortey Dowuona: The problem with Charli XCX being the popstar of the future is that she is very much the popstar of the now. The ability to absorb newly born sub-genres born of nostalgia for the '80s/'90s and twist them into stranger, wilder forms is a current popstar ideal, not a futuristic one. When Robyn enters, you can barely tell her and Charli apart, so closely they've been tied together in being smooth, catchy and lithe -- their voices blend right into each other. Hence the presence of Yung Lean, whose clumsy, awkward flow disrupts the song and allows it the appearance of rough charm that AG Cook and Cirkut's scalpel-cut drumbeats prevent from emerging. Robyn seems happiest to be here, while Lean comes across as disengaged. That could count as cool elsewhere but feels apropos of nothing next to Charli, who is always on, no matter the cost. [6]

Mark Sinker: “Complicating, circulating / New life! new life!”: something sweet and funny to me that Charli is igniting old-school critical discourse where discourse is still found (“rockism” on bluesky; “auteur theory” on ilx), when both versions of this song are the words and moves of self-declared super-hot cyborgs stepping out and taking a fine narcissistic-mechanistic strut through in the city. Killing this shit since 1981 (complimentary). [9]

TA Inskeep: Pure fun, giving nods to 1987 Miami freestyle -- this would sound great bumping from cars that, y'know, go boom -- while Charli, Robyn, and Yung Lean party your body. I actually wish this track were denser and had more going on, because it could handle it; as is, it's great but yet too spare. [7]

Will Adams: In its original form, "360" was thin, its silly references obscuring the astounding insight that the rest of Brat offers. This remix does it no favors; the instrumental is unchanged, the earworm hook of "bumpin' that" is downgraded to "got that," and Charli and her guests pass the mic aimlessly. It was already inessential before it was rendered entirely superfluous by the superior remix that is "365." All that's left is me wondering which Robyn lyric someone got tattooed on their boobs. [4]

Oliver Maier: The "360" remix mercifully spares us a guest verse from Julia Fox, but still feels like a misstep -- perhaps the only one, in fairness -- in Charli's zeitgeist-conquering Brat campaign. The more I listen to the original, a near-perfect pop song that thrives on its conciseness, the more it feels like a strange choice for a repurposed posse cut. There's a tinge of the Pop 2 mix-and-match philosophy to the feature choices, but the manic, first-thought-best-thought intuition of that era is not so present here, and the poor Swedes sound a bit adrift. Lean just about holds his own, but Robyn's contribution is woeful, particularly for an OG brat. By the end, you're desperate for Charli's hook from the original to break through, but relief never comes. [4]

Ian Mathers: Sometimes when you call something a "victory lap" you mean it derisively, but this is an example of when the term feels both earned and positive. If I didn't love Robyn and think she deserves all the praise she can get, you could probably take a point or two off my score. I'm much less familiar with Yung Lean, but he fits in just fine, in the kind of way where despite never actually listening to an album I totally buy that he makes sense rubbing shoulders with Robyn and Charli. It helps that the original is so strong, and that Charli just takes the production and ditches the old vocals so she's more a part of this version instead. [9]

Alfred Soto: Charli's having fun, and I endorse her delight in sharing that burbling synth bass and ticking sequencer with her friends as if it were freshly opened prosecco, but this is a party where she's better off dancing on her own. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#charli xcx #robyn #yung lean #brat #music #pop #pop music #music writing #music reviews #music criticism #the singles jukebox #Youtube

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lordmayokcorner · 1 year

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aespa My World - Album Review

-- image: euphoriazine --

After what feels like a lifetime, SM Entertainment’s aespa has finally dropped their new mini album My World. The group released a whopping 4 prereleases, always a red flag in my opinion. That said, I think that this EP has the potential to be a big hit among fans. This is a pretty noticeable departure from their original sound, but I see it as a good thing. Despite my bias being Ningning, we all have to admit that Blonde Karina is a massive slay.

I’ll listen to each song 3 times and rate them afterward. Each song will be rated on a scale of 1-10 with 5 being completely neutral, 1 being my least favorite song, and 10 being the best songs ever. Please take my rating with a grain of salt, my goal is to be honest, no hate :)

Welcome To MY World (feat. nævis) - 8

First off, is that vocaloid I hear? Something similar nonetheless. We start off with a somewhat ominous but sweet guitar riff. When the refrain hits, the bass is incredible and super smooth. Ningning is killing it on the refrain! (or chorus depending on how you see it). As the song progresses, it continuously builds to hit harder and harder, adding drums, strings, more bass, synths, harmonies, backups, and the vocaloid-esque nævis lines. In the verses the autotune is quite excessive, but the chorus sounds more tasteful to me. That said, I still love this song!

Spicy - 9

This song has much more power than the previous. The sound design of the synth bass is seriously impressive and pleasing to the ear. The production is done by Moonshine, an absolute beast in the kpop scene. Peek-A-Boo, Naughty, and Forever 1, just to name a few. The rap in the verse feels like a cross between the Irene rap in Dumb Dumb and Robyn’s Konichiwa B*tches. The chorus slaps. So. Hard. All the pitch sliding in the vocals and synths gives this song a jazzy, danceable feel. There are elements of Illusion, but other than that it’s a new sound for aespa.

Salty & Sweet - 7.5

This song continues the trend of excellent sound design in the bass. The vocal processing is also quite nice. The master is a little quiet compared to the other songs which is a bit disappointing, but if you turn up the volume it’s just fine. This one reminds me a bit of Savage, and both of them aren’t exactly revolutionary, though I do prefer this song. The production is super satisfying, perhaps even more than Spicy, but the songwriting could use some work. A hard-hitting funky track that can be a little boring if you aren’t really focusing on the sounds.

Thirsty - 6

They’re going for a Red Velvet style R&B track here. It’s debatable whether or not they pull it off. I personally don’t think aespa is made for this style, but it does sound pretty good. Once again, heavy autotune that at times is distracting. I don’t think aespa really needs as much autotune as SM gives them! The production is also not quite as exquisite as the previous 3 tracks. I’m a sucker for this style though, being as much of a Reveluv as I am.

I’m Unhappy - 7

Another R&B feel to this song. Aespa is really bringing the groove in this EP, I must say. I love the vocals, particularly in the chorus, my God! Everything besides the chorus doesn’t really stand out to me as much however. The rap parts aren’t that impressive, but that’s not necessarily the goal. The slight vocal fry and growl in the “I’m unhappy” just adds to the aggressively cool sound of the song. I think that Giselle and Karina in particular absolutely nail it. Thumbs up aespa 👍

‘Til We Meet Again - 5

The song begins with some beautiful bells, strings, and soft vocals. The acoustic guitar that enters afterward isn’t exactly for me though. The chorus cements this song as a power ballad. There’s nothing wrong with this song, I just don’t really see anything that notable in it. It’s a decent song, it just happens to be extremely similar to almost every end song ballad in kpop. I feel like there would be better ways to end this album, but this isn’t necessarily a bad way to do it.

Final Thoughts

This must be the 10th time I’ve mentioned groove in this review, but this comeback really embodies the word. I certainly think this is a good direction for aespa. I like their older concepts too, but I think progressing as a group is very important. In my eyes, if they keep reinventing and developing their sound, they possibly have the ability to overtake groups with more defined, static sounds such as Blackpink, who they are often accused of imitating. That however is a whole other debate. I found this album to be generally impressive, particularly on the production side. SM undeniably has the best producers of the big 3, at least from my opinion as an amateur producer and sound designer. I give this album an overall score of 7, with my favorite song being the banger that is Spicy, the title track. Thank you for reading, let me know what your thoughts are on any of this!

- Maya

#album review #aespa #kpop gg #aespa girls #music review #music reaction #new release #kpop album

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bigweldindustries · 1 year

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I think Robyn got her gay icon status by being cringe but in like, a really endearing way. Like we've got this tiny white Swedish woman singing in Jamaican Patois and rapping alongside Snoop Dogg abt all the people who won't fuck with her. Alongside the Call Your Girlfriends and With Every Heartbeats and the Dancing on my Owns you've got shit like Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do (if you're unfamiliar then look up the lyrics on it I cannot stress this enough) or Konichiwa Bitches and it's literally all just somehow endearing

#axel grinds on #robyn is a weird one

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paganpoetrywrittendown · 5 months

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Agnetha's legacy (aka Attack Of The Swedes)

At some point, I will have to write about ABBA. They were the first band i ever got into...i was like 10 or 11. Back then, the fact that they were Swedish was a novelty. Now, being Swedish is no big deal...there's is a virtual Scandinavian invasion afoot. So Attack Of The Swedes, here we go

With Every Heartbeat-Robyn You might remember Robyn from a few years back. She was this short Swedish chick with a Pink-esque look and had some minor hits (i think they both hit the Top 40) with Show Me Love and Do You Know What It Takes. Catchy tunes, yes...but kinda blended into the pop/r&b landscape (although i actually liked the former). And then she disappeared.

Well lo and behold, she's back. Now older, Robyn left the major labels and puts out her own music, using the web and MySpace to promote her music. She was linked up with Max Martin (future Britney Spears svengali) and was irritated that she lost control of her music. So she bailed. Kinda cool. I read about her on another blog...she had a song out last year (although the album is just out in the UK) called Be Mine. Insanely catchy, it should have been an enormous hit. Over skittering beats and massive strings, it's all angst and girlish tears (it opens with the fabulous line "it's a good thing tears never show in the pouring rain"...basically she sees her ex-boyfriend with another girl. It all features a fantastic spoken word interlude about the scarf that she gave him and the new girl. Honestly, shoulda been huge. Maybe still will...who knows.

Two other songs worth nothing hit the web. Robotboy (also great pop) and Konichiwa Bitches, which is about 2 minutes long in its original version and featuring a much lauded Trentemoller mix. Both good....

but this....simply gorgeous. Again, it's pop. But its brilliant. It's on the cd as well as being out on a single where its credited to Kleerup featuring Robyn. In any event, she opens the song singing about how she and her love should keep working

maybe we can make it alright we could better sometime maybe we can make it happen baby we could keep trying....

and then, in a moment that i can only call a "Joy Division" moment (i know sacrilege) the song literally sounds like it is lifting up...she sings...."but things will never change, so i don't look back, still i am dyin' with every step i take." And then the beat comes in. And thats it...she just walks away while the song goes on to talk about why the relationship will never ever work and how it hurts "with every heartbeat." Its a beautiful sad song. It reminds me of If You Leave by OMD, I am sure because of the subject matter and the phrase "If you leave, don't look back." Maybe its the companion piece or its her answer. But it has that same feel...surely one of the more beautiful melancholy Number 1's of the 80's. Please seek out this song...its wonderful and charming and cool.

Anyways, you can check it out on www.juno.co.uk or on www.beatport.com or on her website,http://www.robyn.com/index.html and you can check out some of the other songs i mentioned on her myspace site, http://www.myspace.com/robynmyspace

Lose You-Linda Sundblad

Another Swede and another MySpace denizen (http://myspace.com/lindasundblad), where i ran into her. This is a song that you could easily imagine hearing on the radio. It definitely sounds a bit like some of the better selections from Sheryl Crow...it has that casual rock-chick feel. Also, its very summer. Honestly, it reminds me a bit of the 70's...very Fleetwood Mac...i don't know, the chords or the organ sound.

Keeping with the blonde, gorgeous yet dark & melancholic Swedish vein, the song starts out all casual about meeting a boy

Pounding heart on a Saturday night sneaking peeks down my velvet skirt cutie talk not to witty or bright but your beauty was the kind that could hurt l could tell from the look in your eyes l was trigging your insanity l just knew l could see it that...

and then the song goes from a pensive meeting to a much darker and twisted place

...i would lose you, i would lose you from the start

Very Bergman, if you ask me.

Sit Down-Flunk

Ok. Not Swedish. Nobody knows this band. I think like 4 people outside of Norway (1 is me, 1 is Carlos). It's a shame. At the risk of labeling them with an adjective often considered bad, they are often lumped into the chillout genre. I consider them soul music, really.

This is their new single. It's beautiful, pensive, kinda sad sounding. Very late night. Very glass of red wine...you can check it out here....http://flunkmusic.com/personale/

but what i really want to write about is this song

On My Balcony-Flunk 3 minutes and 10 seconds of sexy sexy sexy. Has a vague hip-hop beat and a funky guitar. And that's kinda it, save the languid vocals of Anya Oyen Vister. Anya has a very Scandinavian voice...its hard to explain, but she has that chilly/warm combo that you hear in many artists from that area.

Like i said, the song is very sensual...i'd even say erotic, although not explicit in any sense.

Here comes summer Beaming in through my bedroom window There´s a song on the radio You used to hum back then Here comes summer Still feels fresh as morning air Today I'll just stay here And do, well, whatever I´ll do whatever Please, make summer last forever All I wanna do Is sit here on my balcony And think about you and me And how happy we could be

And thats kinda it. From my perspective, the song is kinda ambiguous. You don't really know if they will be happy, i guess. However, its hopefully, not only in the tone, but i get this image of her on her balcony in the early morning, maybe her lover is still sleeping. Its early, both literally and in the relationship, and she's hopeful that it will always stay just like this. Summer as a metaphor for the beginning part of every relationship, before things get tough (and sometimes end...Linda Sundblad knows its gonna end right from the start)

Find the album Morning Star....you can hear it there. Sexy sexy sexy, i swear.

#flunk #robyn #sweden swedish #pop genius #dancing on my own

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universomovie · 11 months

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Robyn - Dancing On My Own (Live From The Trocadero)

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#Youtube

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sowhenyoufeellike · 6 years

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Robyn performs With Every Heartbeat on Later… with Jools Holland on BBC Two (30 October 2018).

#every heartbeat #robyn konichiwa #robyn #robyn carlsson #jools holland

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kylenorth · 6 years

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LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!

#robyn #robyn konichiwa #robyn music #pop #missing u #music

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heartsagiow · 5 years

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#robyn #honey #konichiwa records

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nineteenfiftysix · 13 days

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Robyn - Be Mine (Robyn, 2005)

#robyn #electropop #dance-pop #konichiwa records

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dorawinifredread · 6 years

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#Robyn #Konichiwa Bitches #My gifs

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perfectmidnightworld · 6 years

Audio

“Honey” by Robyn // Honey (Out 10.26.18 via Konichiwa Records)

Robyn has been away for too long. This summer’s exquisite “Missing U” was a primer for her forthcoming full length return this October. Now, the album’s title track is available to stream and it is pure Robyn. Melancholic waves wash over pulsating synths, jittery electro beats, and of course - Robyn’s gorgeous, soulful vocals. It’s another stunner and I’m not surprised in the least. Just eagerly anticipating what else awaits on the full length.

#robyn #electropop #dance #honey #konichiwa #favorite new music

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lordmayokcorner · 1 year

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UPDATE aespa My World - Album Review

-- image: koreatimes --

Welcome To MY World (feat. nævis) - 10

We start off with a somewhat ominous but sweet guitar riff. When the refrain hits, the bass is incredible and super smooth. Ningning is killing it on the refrain! (or chorus depending on how you see it). In the verses the autotune is quite excessive, but the chorus sounds more tasteful to me. As the song progresses, it continuously builds to hit harder and harder, adding drums, strings, more bass, synths, harmonies, backups, and the vocaloid-esque nævis lines. The descending strings into the final chorus are the highlight of the entire song. Every single word and musical element of the last chorus feels intentional and precise. The previous sense of suspense has been supplemented with passion and power. This song is amazing, I have nothing else to say.

Spicy - 9

The tense suspense and power of Welcome to MY World is replaced by a hard-hitting funky beat. The sound design of the synth bass is seriously impressive and pleasing to the ear. The production is done by Moonshine, an absolute beast in the kpop scene. Peek-A-Boo, Naughty, and Forever 1, just to name a few. The rap in the verse feels like a cross between the Irene rap in Dumb Dumb and Robyn’s Konichiwa B*tches. The chorus slaps. So. Hard. All the pitch sliding in the vocals and synths gives this song a jazzy, danceable feel. Some parts feel a bit boring and repetitive, but the track is addictive nevertheless. There are elements of Illusion, but other than that it’s a new sound for aespa.

Salty & Sweet - 7.5

This song continues the trend of excellent sound design in the bass. The vocal processing is also quite nice. The master is a little quiet compared to the other songs which is a bit disappointing, but if you turn up the volume it’s just fine. This one reminds me a bit of Savage, and both of them aren’t exactly revolutionary, though I do prefer this song. The production is super satisfying, perhaps even more than Spicy, but the songwriting could use some work. The only part that I find to be all around incredible is the breakdown/refrain with the heavy synth stabs. A classic hard-hitting aespa track that can be a little boring if you aren’t really focusing on the sounds and production.

Thirsty - 7

They’re going for a Red Velvet style R&B track here. They pull it off…mostly. I personally don’t think aespa suits this style, but it does sound pretty good overall. Once again, heavy autotune that at times is distracting. I don’t think aespa really needs as much autotune as SM gives them! The production is also not quite as exquisite as the previous 3 tracks. I’m a sucker for this style though, being as much of a Reveluv as I am. Very pretty and dreamy.

I’m Unhappy - 8.5

Another R&B feel to this song. Aespa is really bringing the groove in this EP, I must say. The verse has a nice fun light beat, the pre-chorus is smooth R&B, and the chorus is a combination of Spicy and Welcome to MY World in sound. I love the vocals, particularly in the chorus, my God! Other parts don’t really stand out to me as much however. The rap parts aren’t that impressive, but that’s not necessarily the goal. The slight vocal fry and growl in the “I’m unhappy” just adds to the aggressively cool sound of the song. I think that Giselle and Karina in particular absolutely nail it here. Relaxed and powerful, love it. Thumbs up aespa 👍

‘Til We Meet Again - 4

The song begins with some beautiful bells, strings, and soft vocals. The acoustic guitar that enters afterward isn’t exactly for me though. The chorus cements this song as a power ballad, but it’s not really a good one. There’s nothing very wrong with this song, I just don’t really see anything that notable in it. It’s a fine song, it just happens to be extremely similar to almost every end song ballad in kpop, and feels a bit cheesy. I feel like there would be better ways to end this album, but this isn’t necessarily a bad way to do it.

Final Thoughts

This must be the 10th time I’ve mentioned groove in this review, but this comeback really embodies the word. I certainly think this is a good direction for aespa. I like their older concepts too, but I think progressing as a group is very important. In my eyes, if they keep reinventing and developing their sound, they possibly have the ability to overtake groups with more defined, static sounds such as Blackpink, who they are often accused of imitating. That however is a whole other debate. I found this album to be generally impressive, particularly on the production side. SM undeniably has the best producers of the big 3, at least from my opinion as an amateur producer and sound designer. I give this album an overall score of 8, with my favorite song being the opener, Welcome to MY World. Thank you for reading, let me know what your thoughts are on any of this!

- Maya

#aespa #album review #aespa girls #music review #kpop #kpop gg #kpop girls #giselle #karina #ningning

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