The spring of 2023 will be characterized by a quartet of top-tier girl group releases. The results have been mixed so far, with IVE’s I Am throwing down the gauntlet in rousing fashion but LE SSERAFIM’s Unforgiven missing the mark. Now, aespa sweep us into the final stretch before (G)I-DLE bring things to a close next week.
aespa have been on a roll, but their music hasn’t always matched their potential. March’s Tetris-interpolating Hold On Tight offered a taste of how a more synth-forward style might sound on the girls, but rather than fulfill that promise new single Spicy hearkens back to 2021’s breakout smash Next Level. I’m struck most by the production, which echoes the rumbling electro bass of that now-classic track. It’s a robust, textured sound that grounds Spicy in a very satisfying way. This is aespa’s specialty, and I’m happy to hear them embracing these sounds once more.
If only Spicy had fused a stronger song to this dynamic production! As is common these days, the track puts too much emphasis on chanting and posturing. There’s little room for melody, and even when the chorus spotlights the group’s effortless vocals, the hook feels underdeveloped. Instead, the instrumental does the heavy lifting. Its consistent energy helps Spicy feel big and exciting throughout. But, the song comes across as a one-trick pony, constantly revolving around the same patterns and ideas. I’m hoping it will enjoy Next Level-style longevity, but I have my doubts.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8 |
Grade: B-
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I have to be honest, at this point I find this style of contemporary kpop as unlistenable as the MAVE all AI version of kpop. A pastiche of itself.
Pop Will Eat Itself. Can you dig it.
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I hope this is a grower, otherwise it’s a new low for the once proud fortress of vocals.
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This song gives me big f(x) vibes, from the sing-chanting to the chromaticism in the melodies to the arrangement as a whole. It’s not a home run, but it’s a solid double. 8/10 is probably where I’d put it too, but I don’t see much room for it to grow.
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this reminds me of britney spears’ song “Do Somethin'” but not as punchy, catchy, or vivacious! the production is really great here but that hook leaves a lot to be desired. i think this is their least memorable title track yet.
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In a strange way it reminds me of Gary Numan’s Cars. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjM8Fi7J58
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This sounds very synth-heavy to me, I quite like that aspect of it. I have a feeling this one’s a keeper for me.
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On the one hand, the song’s synth-heavy production slayed for me. On the other hand, too much chanting and posturing to my taste, that same pet peeve I personally share with Nick.
All in all, fine. But not great or, moreover, perfect. 8/10 seems about right.
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Are you kidding me? This is a 5.
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there’s veryyyy little memorable melody. the chorus is worse than Girls. I like the post-chorus the most.
they’ve had this song before(?) debut according to Ningning. I’m not sure if they changed anything about it since then but it definitely needs more adjusting.
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Their first post-Yoo Youngjin track! Really love the bigness of the production (as expected from Moonshine – only thing lacking is their signature tag lol). And it seems like the girls are having a lot of fun with this too. Really reminds me of Red Light-era f(x) too. I’m glad they didn’t go safe for this one and kept their sounds going when the rest of K-pop is going in a safer direction.
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it’s cute and most of the regular commenters here need to go out and touch grass at this point. how do you people consistently dislike every new release? i consider myself picky as far as the current gen of kpop goes and even i still enjoy some songs from time to time.
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“I consider myself picky” he said, hunched over the dumpster
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gender-neutral pronouns exist in the english language for a reaosn, use them next time, jackass.
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I may seem picky, but my desires are simple: a melody I can curl into and sing at full volume driving down the road with the kiddos in the back seat. When was the last time we heard a genuine key change in kpop?
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Not the key changes… I remember when almost every new song that came out had to have some kind of key change. Especially in the bridge. That got old so fast!
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It’s a B-, not an F.
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i have no problem with the review, i was talking about the comment.
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*comments
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This is for sure meant to be a sequel to F(x) ‘Hot Summer’, which as far as I’m aware was a huge hit in korea. Go watch the hot summer video and watch Spicy again!!
Made me appreciate the brashness of the song even more.
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The instrumental in the intro feels like a very grand urban entrance into a movie. It kinda reminds me of the intro in Justin Bieber’s “Runaway Love” 😂 Wish there were more singing parts.
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This seems – to me at least – like an Itzy b-side with its synth turned up. Not a bad song or a bad time but something about it feels inconsistent with the ethos of their prior titles and songs to me. I’m not sure it’s something I would seek out to listen to intentionally either but if it were to come on in a shuffle playlist I wouldn’t be disgusted by it either. More unmemorable than outright bad I think.
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look, I’ll just be honest, the song ain’t melodically/production interesting. Sounds very b-sidish. Could use more synth imo to improve layering and thicken up sounds.
Its defintely not bad, but I dont consider it a keeper. Its rather weak as a title imo. 7 for me.
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This song is fine. Its another one that I don’t think I’d ever think to put on myself but I can see why someone else would. Its big and fun. I just don’t think I’d ever listen to it again myself. As for the rest of it, I really like Thirsty and Till We Meet Again is the best song I’ve ever heard in my life. I LOVE that one with my whole heart.
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What are your thoughts on their new album?
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Very dull, tbh. Spicy is my standout, and even then it’s just solid.
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What about welcome to my world?
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Second best song, for me.
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I absolutely loved it. I think it’s very similar to the energy ITZY brought with ICY. The instrumental is INSANE! Reminds me of Do Somethin by Britney. My only complaint is that the post chorus comes out of nowhere and isn’t as catchy as it should be. A 8/10 for me regardless tho. I like it much better than Girls.
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I was interpolating “I see that I’m icy” as well. It’s really easy to when half the lyrics on both songs are short asides.
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There’s just not enough melody and too much chanting/shouting instead of singing for me to say this is a good track , it’s not bad but song like this wear out fast , a 6/10 for me
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Man I love the heavy bass in this song.
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Pressed send too quickly. I like this, it’s fun and cute. Step up from Girls.
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I get why people don’t find it really memorable but for me it’s their best single yet, I really like the electronic instrumentals. And Welcome To My World is their best song to date for me.
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I quite like this- it doesn’t really live up to the standards of the Savage mini album or Illusion personally, but I think it’s almost cute which is not a word I would usually use for Aespa! Something about it is very charming. (As always) I wish the chorus was a bit stronger but the post chorus section begininng with ‘Don’t stop’ was a blast of energy. I almost wish they’d switched the order and made that the actual chorus! As for the album, I really liked Salty & Sweet and I’m Unhappy. Cannot wait for them to finally get their first album, I’m excited to see what they do next.
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I am waiting to actually fall in love with an Aespa song. This is *fine*, I rather dig the synth bass, but this is way too chanty and not quite memorable enough in the melody department. Rating is about right.
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I wasn’t sure of the hooks at first, but by the time I finished playing it the second time, I know I will grow to love this. The punchiness of the production is really something fresh and I really adore it.
Welcome to my world is easily one of my favorite aespa songs now, and I’ve also been loving the rest of the album too. I think aespa did a great job with this. Personally, I might even like this more than IVE’s album overall. Time will tell.
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First up, thank god they ditched the awful lote for they lyrics. This is very well-produced and mixed considering the growling bass takes over a lot of the room. The girls also shine in each of their toplines!
But damn you, Adam. Since I’ve read your comment, the resemblance to ITZY’s music is apparently too much to be ignored. I can even hear the ITZY girls’ voice in this song.
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I like the consistency of the instrumental but the verses and choruses make it really annoying to get through on loop yet everything just goes through my head. It’s basically noise. I like the spice girls vibe of it all tho.
Best song in the album is I’m Unhappy for me, I think it’s close to Hold On Tight with the video gamey instrumentals and this underlying feel of angst that’s so captivating.
6.5 for me
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Oh my gosh is that Spice in your pfp? I love that
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Yes! Coincidentally, this song is perfect for Spice tho, its pretty punk
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I personally love this song but yeah it does sound like some parts are just looped over
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*some parts don’t stick when looped over. That’s what I meant. Man I wish we could delete comments sometimes lol
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I personally love this song. Idk why but this song really reminds me of something that would’ve come out in 2005 with a slightly more modern flair. Tbh I think im the target audience for songs like this since I tend to gravitate too songs with lots of attitude and sass. Theyre fun and a perfect fit for summer. This ones going straight to my playlist.
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I loved the teaser the moment I heard it, which turned out to be the post-chorus. It’s a shame that it only appears twice in the song, and I wish they ran with this melody further. But I’m always up for a fun, thick wall of sound to listen to with headphones on.
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idk y’all just hate fun music 🤷♂️
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I listened to the song this morning on a really bad cell phone and I swear I could only hear the vocals and hardly any of the instrumental and I thought it was a complete disappointment.
I was surprised when I got home and see that you rated it 8 when I expected it to be 6, I turned on my laptop, I put on my headphones and heard that electric bass and all the texture like a revelation and now I love it.
Definitely without the production it would be a forgettable song but I admit that it is an 8, that instrumental makes it exciting from start to finish.
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I like the beginning and the synth, but I cannot deal with the tween lyrics, I kept thinking of Miss A’s Good Girl, Bad Girl, which had a similar vibe (lyrics-wise) but went about it so much better!
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It’s very good. I might be biased but it’s their second title track that made me like it at first listen.
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I expected to hate this song the second it started playing because it sounded like it was gonna be what you described in your review. But I actually kinda love it, I don’t think any of the parts are annoying even though I feel like I should. The production kicks ass, and I don’t mind the scant approach to vocals when they interact with the production this well. I guess it would be hard to sing to, but I love listening to it.
I also think that the sorority concept is a really smart reaction to the Y2K trend. Aespa as a group are only a couple years older than NewJeans and the other 4th gen groups that are using this aesthetic, but the members themselves are definitely too old to be dressing like middle schoolers. This style feels like it attracts a similar audience, but it makes them stand out as more mature without having to become boring or overly sexual. This is one of the rare instances where a group has more or less earned the right to brag about themselves in a song.
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Ooooh, that instrumental! I agree that stronger melodies would’ ve made this better. That instrumental really illuminates my happy neurons, though.
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