11. aespa, “LEMONADE”
On the title track of second full-length album LEMONADE, aespa takes the precision of a festival-ready EDM machine and carbonates it. All four members trade rap lines over a hard-hitting beat, collapsing the familiar K-pop divide between vocalists and rappers into the song’s central thrill. The hook, build and bridge lock together like gears, sending the track forward with the speed and spark of a neon-lit roller coaster. The result is perhaps the sharpest and most acidic turn in aespa’s eclectic discography so far. Seven years into the group’s career, with LEMONADE hitting a No. 9 peak on the Billboard 200 ahead of a world tour, aespa sounds fully in command of that machinery. “LEMONADE” is a controlled rush, turning pressure into something sharp, bright and built to travel. – Billboard Korea