For those of you who do not know much about K-Pop, aespa has been a hot commodity as of late in the world of South Korean-based K-Pop Music. Their first main album, 2024’s Armageddon, became huge from the likes of songs on it, such as the awesome Supernova. This was the girl group’s breakthrough musical moment, although they also had some excellent tracks earlier on in their career as well, such as Black Mamba, Next Level and Spicy. In any case, aespa has released this digital-only single that has songs that were previously performed on their own tour. This is a strange listen, as there are four solo compositions for the girls (one song each for the individual member) and this may be the beginning of the end for the group in that respect. Maybe aespa is ready to implode due to personality clashes? In any case, let’s listen to this digital-only EP release, and we shall hope that it sounds good.

UP – Karina Solo begins with some Nine Inch Nails-styled electronics and launches into a very good sounding piece of music that is K-Pop, but awesome. Although this does sound very pretentious musically, it does the job and sounds good enough for what it is. A good mixture of electronics, beats and rapping in Korean, this music is a good motivational excuse for one to learn the Korean language. Picture yourself in Gangnam in Seoul itself, and you are very much there with this song. There is a cool breakdown in the second half with distorted vocals and other interesting production-based sounds throughout. All in all, a very short, sweet and impressive listen. Great to hear, and less than three minutes in length.

Dopamine – Giselle Solo launches into a moody, melancholy-sounding piece with some sweet singing by Giselle. This sounds really excellent and gentle and is a more moody and emotional tune that demands to be heard. A really great listen, Giselle proves herself to be a crucial singer and member of aespa. All in all, a really wonderful tune to listen to. This is about getting a head rush of dopamine in love. This sounds a lot like the music of 2024, at least on a commercial basis. This builds up and breaks down very nicely throughout, and the music holds power and beauty better than you’d think. A super cool and awesome listen, this is a K-Pop tune with its heart on its sleeve. Nice, all the way to the finish of the song.

Bored! – Ningning Solo begins with some rather unusual sounds and enters into an excellent song with digital sounds and beats that sound really excellent. For K-Pop, this is undeniably excellent. The sonic sounds, singing and performances by the aespa girls are nothing but impressive on this release. This is far better than the (arguably) USA feminist music from Popstars such as Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift. It just works, period. A superb and sweet tune, Ningning’s voice is pleasantly ethereal throughout. A really great and inspired listen, this EP is certainly worth your time and ears. Another spacey, futuristic piece of singing and textures with beats. Very good.

Spark – Winter Solo begins with some Radiohead Kid A (2000) styled textures, before quickly entering into a digitally modified and well-crafted listening experience. Winter proves her worth by singing softly and pleasantly throughout. She sings in English for the most part on this tune, and she sounds intense and emotional on this tune. This has a huge array of musical progressions in it, and quickly launches into an EDM dancefloor-styled tune. If you are a young lady between the ages of 18-25, this will have a huge appeal to you as a listener. Even if you aren’t, Winter’s singing and this EP as well will move you. A very good tune, worth hearing from this EP. The sounds are really out of this world and are totally enjoyable to hear. It ends with some interesting sounds and a spacey outro.

This is a short and sweet EP that is actually surprisingly very, very good for the rather trashy standards of K-Pop. This is a project that could have easily fallen apart on first listen. However, this is not the case. The music and themes of this EP release are some of aespa’s most consistent as of yet. It does sound rather unoriginal as music, but that is largely forgivable. Should you give this short EP a spin? If you want to hear a decent K-Pop release in 2024, look no further. People who prefer more traditional styles of music should avoid this, however.

Very good K-Pop for 2024.

8/10