In the few years since their 2020 debut,
aespa have proved themselves one of the most forward-thinking and ambitious girl groups in the world today. Futuristic in both sound and narrative, their output so far has spanned explosive dance anthems ('
Black Mamba'), head-spinning mission statements ('
Next Level'), hyperpop borrowing bangers ('
Savage'), reimagined 90s K-pop with alien raps ('
Dreams Come True') and more. Opening the next chapter with 'MY WORLD', they step away from the computer.
Up until now, aespa – that's Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning – largely existed in the virtual realm; the group's sound focusing hard on electronic beats, and their group concept itself including an avatar version of each of the four members (plus, debuting amidst the pandemic meant their foundational year went by without performing to an audience in person). Coinciding with a storyline where the girls step out of the virtual world and into the real one, comeback track '
Welcome to MY World' explores more organic instrumentation, not just the distorted guitar and luscious string section, but birds chirping incorporated into the beat.
Everything aespa is not lost, though, there's still the synth stabs poking through in the track's second half. That gives way to the EP's lead single, '
Spicy', which reverts back to classic aespa. Packed with attitude, it's perfectly bratty, tying up a self-confident chorus with their usual wonky instrumental. '
Salty & Sweet' follows suit, maintaining the Sophie-lite beats that shaped their sound early on – the juxtaposition of a janky instrumental with the girls' delicate vocals is always a winner.
