aespa are back and bold as ever! The quartet has just made its newest comeback with its third mini album MY WORLD. The group has already established itself as a group focused on delivering hard-hitting and futuristic pop, and with their latest lead single, “Spicy,” listeners are again treated to another bold track.

From the moment the track starts, and those heavy and full synths hit your ears, the track instantly took me back to early-2000s club-ready pop tracks. Going back to the beginning of the century has been a popular concept for a while now in K-pop, and as someone who grew up with a lot of that music, it’s always a nice hit of nostalgia. The production and arrangement is the star of this track, with that intense bass synth and beats setting a solid foundation. It’s layered without being cluttered, and nothing sounds muffled in a bad way. While the track does stay at largely the same level the entire time, the track is so nicely done that I would argue, in a rare decision for me, that it doesn’t need to go anywhere else.

While I think the instrumental is where the track is the strongest, the girls of aespa hold their own to balance it out well. Each member brings a great amount of sass and style to their lines. The vocals and the lyrics of the song largely fall into current trends of chanting and hyping oneself up. While I do wish the lyrics were a bit more punchy, they are one of the more nuanced parts I’ve heard from recent releases. As emphasized earlier, “Spicy” is a song largely led by its instrumental, though I would be remiss to say that the lyrics aren’t catchy and fun.

With “Spicy,” aespa continues its dominance over their futuristic sound, though it would be nice to hear something a bit more developed in the lyrics department to not only match the fantastic production, but to give the members more room to show off their fantastic vocals.

Featured Image: SM Entertainment