Review: aespa scores an absolute success with 'Savage'

Review: aespa - Savage

aespa's releases have always been polarizing. Since their debut nearly a year ago, all of their singles largely polarized. For Black Mamba and Next Level, I initially disliked them, before growing to love them. I saw this largely as the reaction for Next Level. For a K-Pop single, it had one of the most internationally negative reactions at launch, before becoming one of the year's biggest hits. Kudos to TheBiasList, he is the only one who called its success prior to launch.

Now, with Savage, once again there is a largely negative reaction online. In a surprising twist of fate, I believe I am one of the few who fully relishes the track at launch. Thus, I can only hope this ends up as a Next Level situation!

Savage, musically, completely succeeds in its aims. In many ways, Savage is what Blackpink initially wanted to be. In many ways, Blackpink have struggled to balance the edgy girl crush 'black' and fun and girly 'pink' sounds (that sounds way more stereotypical than it was supposed to). This song, musically and visually, succeeds at that excellently. From edgy, clanging, EDM raps, to the cute and fun bridge, the song balances both extremes.

Another way the group succeeds from its Blackpink-esque configuration would be the 4 members. With the small group size, each of the four members gets a chance to shine within the 4 minutes of the song. The line distribution is fairly even, giving each member a chance to shine. Giselle's get her high-pitched rap breaks, Ningning her high notes, Karina her flows and vocal moments, and Winter's raspy lines throughout the pre-chorus and chorus give just the right amount of grit.

Of course, all of this is held together through Yoo Young-Jin's immaculate production. It is fragmented, glitchy, and anything but stable. It pulls enough tricks to be pulled from the same cloth as the songwriter's classic Rising Sun for TVXQ. The instrumentation always verges at the border of absolute chaos but pulls back whenever things get a little too close. With this reckless and somewhat teetering balance, the song manages to thrive like moss on a sidewalk.

The verses are driven by clanging percussion. It is minimalist but always feels quite loud. This balance works quite amazingly, even if it is a little trendier, since NCT have done this before. A large part of the lyrics here are rapped, normally by Karina and Giselle. The first verse tries to play it a little safe, and ends up a little forgettable, with none of the lines fully succeeding.

However, the second verse flows much better. It opens with the slow beat of the opening, but with video game-production flourishes dotting the landscape. This adds a little bit more pizazz. However, soon the song continues the same updated instrumentation over a new, updated rap flow. Giselle and Karina peak here, with the speedy rap perfectly contrasted by the dark and advancing percussion. It is a whole lot of fun, with both rappers bringing something different to the table.

The pre-chorus is one of the songs best moments. Always sung by Winter and Ningning, the production has the rug pulled out, instead opting for a synth choir. For the first verse, it is aided by a clapping percussion, which is cleverly removed from the second verse to increase the build. Eventually, banging drums come into aid.

Then, almost naturally, we reach the first phase of the course. The chorus literally builds right off the pre-chorus. The production from the first phase is still there, only augmented by more percussion. The melody here is stunning. Winter is the stand-out, with her voice perfectly adding to the instrumentation. Karina also does pretty well here.

The second phase of the chorus is arguably the most divisive and seems to be the problem most people have with the track. However, I believe it fully succeeds in its aims. Quite notably, the build concludes in a strong anti-drop mid-way through the chorus. While there have been anti-drops in the first half building into a full chorus in the second, the opposite rarely happens. At the same time, the productional variety never leaves, with there being just enough variation in the percussion for it to never feel dull. The hook is also very catchy.

After the second chorus, we are dropped into the absolute left-turn that is the bridge. Yoo Young-Jin has a habit of absolutely destroying the status quo with the bridges, and Savage is no exception. Here, the gritty beat is traded for a more lighthearted arrangement. The happy notes are paired with an upbeat an hopeful melody. Winter and Ningning's voices work really well here.

Just then, we are dropped into an electronic dance break. The gritty bass, omnipresent throughout the song, finally gets its moment in the spotlight, with the electronic video game elements reaching a peak. Now, rather than build back into the first phase, the song goes straight to the anti-drop for the final chorus. This is admittedly a little disappointing, but the vocal fireworks do heal the burn a little.

If there is one major issue I would like to point out with the song, it would be the lyrics. Yoo Young-Jin has a reputation of being a bit unstable as a lyricist, behind some absolute classics and memes. However, he has basically hit rock bottom with his aespa lyrics. Winter's opening could not be written in a serious mind, and will likely become a meme. Giselle literally raps in the first verse 'Deep fake on me' (this is why someone should really Google song lyrics before release), and the song is once again overdosed by aespa's lyrical universe. Words like Kwangya, Naevis, Ae, and Synk still mean absolutely nothing.

This would be a bit better if they were only occasionally sprinkled in, but they actually form the lyrics heartland. Winter even proclaims 'Don't forget this is Kwangya, I control your space and time' out of nowhere in the second verse. SM seems to be attempting to create a cinematic multiverse, with EXO, NCT, SuperM, and aespa all mentioning similar terms and ideas throughout their songs. I have nothing against the idea, and ONF has shown that a cinematic universe between MVs is not only possible but can actually be interesting. However, it seems SM's MV directors care a lot more about making cool videos than a cinematic universe. The lyrics just do not go with the song or music.

Speaking of which, nothing in the lyrics make sense. Who are they addressed to? Why are you hating on the listener for 'dirty playing' one minute, while proclaiming love for the listener due to their sacrifices the next? Plus, the 'I'm a savage' hook leads a lot lacking.

However, as a purely musical experience, Savage is aespa's most absolute success yet. The atmosphere, constantly in flux, always works. The low bass provides an anchor, along with the clanging percussion. In many ways, this is exactly what NCT 127's Sticker wanted to be last month, just better. It bodes well towards aespa's musical future and is one of Yoo Young-Jin's best productional works from the last two or three years.

Rating: 9/10

Image Source: KPOPREVIEWED