You might not immediately clock why aespa are making so much lemonade, until you remember that old corny English saying. Yes, the K-pop four-piece’s latest title track and similarly-named second album is the girls’ answer to all the lemons life is apparently throwing at them. But that’s the point of these catchy runway tunes these days; as long as the words are stuck in your head, the lyricism succeeded. Karina, Winter, Giselle, and Ningning never seem to disappoint in vocals, so we’re safe in that department. Can the sonically unpredictable genre of K-Pop live up to aespa’s standards in LEMONADE?

Pre-released WDA (Whole Different Animal) follows aespa’s pattern of grimier title tracks, this time produced by the revered Dem Jointz. It’s not his most bombastic contribution to SM Entertainment’s artists, but if you like a menacing beat with the odd little electronic jingle, you’ll love the track overlaid with aespa’s proclamations: ‘It’s a new era’. K-Pop legend G-Dragon’s growlish verse sits comfortably on the track, and the girls’ finishing vocalisations top it all off. 

A lot of fans seem to believe aespa were referencing NewJeans with the ETA line and Ditto dance move in LEMONADE, but it’d be a strange, out-of-nowhere, albeit sweet move if true. The music video makes the song more listenable than it is. This isn’t to be taken as a huge criticism of the song, but more as a praise of the video. The girls look flawless in ’60s-inspired fits, black uniforms, and skimpy ensembles atop with accessories. 

LEMONADE has a fantastic instrumental. Its high-tempo Tron-esque sound is very trendy and is different enough from Whiplash to justify existence while acknowledging that the former’s sound is one of aespa’s greats. It’s just a shame that the repeated line ‘I’ll make it lemonade’ is mixed in such a grating way. How the producers managed to make the girls’ voices sound unappealing for a brief moment is an achievement of its own. If you can get past this one line, it’s a fun song. 

Karina’s gorgeous passaggio transitions are loud and clear in the rocker Can’t Help Myself, a song we’re glad lets us hear more of the girls’ vocal excellence. Power, pitch, and projection are mountains of their own, but possessing the endlessly sweet tones that they do in addition makes aespa a rare find in music. Camouflage follows with a deep bassline and sheer optimism: a cute little B-side for aespa’s discography. 

SHAKIN’ and Bite are put to shame by Switchblade featuring Ty Dolla $ign. The EDM track features a repetitive chorus that neatly involves the rapper ahead of his verse. His contrast with the girls’ voices isn’t that of G-Dragon’s, but rather one that relies on his deeper tone. The ending of Ty Dolla $ign’s verse, in which he and the girls are singing ‘Switch it up’ over and over, sounds surprisingly great altogether. We hear some fabulously un-subtle orchestra hits along the melody of the hook: ‘Now it’s time to slash’, adding an infusion of ’80s-’90s on this cleanly composed track. 

Roll would’ve done great in 2017. It’s got that Justin Bieber Love Yourself simplicity. It’s a bit awkward to hear a pop song referencing a nursery rhyme in the big old 2026, though; the aged trend was everywhere in the past couple of decades (Nikki Minaj’s Starships, Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber’s Eenie Meenie, SYML’s Mr. Sandman), but we’re about done with it now. There’s nothing wrong with the track per se, it’s just out of time.

My Plan has the same warmth as their popular hit Better Things, but is a much more chill number than most of their songs. ‘Til We Die wraps up the fervour in rock ballad glory, with LEMONADE’s Becky G version closing the tracklist. Luckily, it evades the curse of awkward Western artist features on K-Pop tracks with an original version; the American singer could slip into the recording booth with aespa and sound right at home. 

In today’s K-Pop climate, we’re seeing girl groups like LE SSERAFIM switch up concepts every two mini-albums to stay atop musical trends, and softer style groups like Hearts2Hearts and ILLIT (bar It’s Me, which we’re pretending didn’t exist) absolutely dominating the charts with their cutesy and airy, NewJeans-inspired sound. The likes of aespa staying true to their electronica is a joy to hear. Trends don’t last forever, but artistic integrity is always appreciated. The group had a graceful, subtle shift since Armageddon, giving more way for more small grunge, hip-hop, and rap inclusions, now that they’ve established to the entire world there are a couple of mini Mariah Careys in their ensemble. 

Of course, we’d love to hear more of Ningning’s whistle notes. All in good time; aespa aren’t going anywhere. 

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Written by Maddie Armstrong

Featured image courtesy of SM Entertainment

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}