Review: aespa - Next Level

aespa's debut Black Mamba grew on me slowly, and Forever was a solid remake. Now, aespa are coming back, with a b-side song from a Fast and Furious spin-off movie as a title track. Granted, this is a pre-release for an upcoming album, but it is confusing nonetheless. Thankfully, SM has a great track record for remakes. And thee of the songs that got me into K-Pop were SM remakes (TVXQ's Mirotic, SHINee's Love Like Oxygen, and Hello).

And honestly, given those expectations, Next Level is confusing. In a way, it is more conceptually convoluting than anything else. The weird AI verse concept has just gotten stranger, with lyrics that are not even trying to make sense (something about absolutism, and total union. Kwangya occasionally ends up sounding like a autocracy). It is assisted by a high-budget MV of more of the same tricks. Sometimes the lyrics even end up creepy, such as the unintentional "Watch me while I make it out" line.

Thankfully, the song has some interesting moments. Winter and Ningning are great vocalists, and their voices shine through the trendy hip-hop moments. The verses have some great melody over the booming bass, but it is uneven.

The main hook of the chorus, "I'm on the Next Level" is catchy at first, but quickly becomes extremely grating. The girls do their best with the performance, but it is not enough. The production is really catchy and edgy, with some popping moments, like the clapping post chorus, which is not nearly repeated enough. It is all a bit too much, with too little to catch on to.

Yoo Young-Jin has a long history of down-tempo segments which are great, and Next Level is no exception. While the main remade part of the song is messy and overcrowded, the beat-drop segment is great. The classic R&B beat is pure BoA, and probably an outtake from her December album. Not everyone can hold it together, but thankfully aespa has some great rappers and vocalists, and they handle it greatly. This section should have been the whole song, not randomly and awkwardly jammed into a corner.

In the end, Next Level is probably aespa's worst single, but it could have been worse. Now that I have complained enough, I want to talk quickly about what aespa should do for the future. Now that Everglow have abandonned their cyberpunk 80's style, aespa should pick it up. La Di Da was acclaimed and a hit. Plus, a sci-fi song like that would fit excellently with aespa's concept.

Rating: 7/10

Image Source: The Bias List