One of 2024’s biggest success stories was SM Entertainment’s reigning girl group aespa. Going into the year they were already very popular, but the trio of Supernova, Armageddon and Whiplash jolted them to a new level, becoming ubiquitous hits that still have a hold on the charts months later. Rather than return with a brand new album, aespa are slowly feeding fans with standalone single Dirty Work. But given the scope of its big budget video, this is no stopgap. SM are clearly throwing their weight behind the project.
My experience with aespa’s 2024 singles was more mixed than the general public’s. Supernova remains one of the year’s best songs, but Armageddon didn’t appeal to me and Whiplash quickly lost its luster thanks to a repetitive, spoken-word approach. Similar frustrations persist with Dirty Work. The visuals are incredible, the elastic bass has so much potential, but the actual song amounts to little more than charismatic talking. Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy, but I desperately want to hear fully sung melodies over this type of soundscape. Like… just do something with the beat.
Dirty Work‘s oft-repeated refrain is admittedly catchy, but it operates in the same way Whiplash did: stylish and amusing the first few times but ultimately too monotone to go the long haul. aespa’s performance drips with charisma. That’s never a complaint I’d level at a song like this. They’re fierce, in command and all the other important buzzwords that cause online fans to publish over-the-top tweets about how much an artist ate/slayed/devoured/etc. The instrumental includes some interesting textures — especially during the chorus — and we get a peek at more dynamic structure during the bridge. But… and I can’t believe I’m going to say this in 2025… at three minutes the song is overlong. It exhausts its minimal ideas in about thirty seconds and needs more development to remain compelling. For all its bluster, it’s a bit of a bore.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 6 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
The styling is off the charts. The girls did their absolute best with the material they were given. Really cool beats, lazy songwriting.
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The industrial beat is so good, but damn is the actual song so… threadbare. Like, it feels more like a demo than an actual song. Sigh… love my girls, but this is their weakest single so far.
7 (6, 8, 7, 7) for me.
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Same, I was like did…did they forget to add the song track??
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YIKES!
SM doing their best to produce a cringe YG garbage track.
What a dreadful timeline we live in.
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I lost hope the moment I heard the teasers. My only consolation is that they have hopefully reserved their best material for a possible album later in the year 🤞
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SM is really bad at girl crush, they should stick to the sci-fi or techno concept they have for Aespa. They are really outdated or just don’t know what’s actually trending for girl crush.
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aespa song before 2024 always seems to be hit or miss to me and this single prove me just that.
Song production & instrumentals are good as always, but I can’t stand the overall flat vibe of the song. The bridge gave it a bit of life, but it couldn’t escape the monotone feel from start to finish.
Karina tone is good as always and Giselle finally being given more parts is spicy, but SM sacrificed the vocal line Winter & Ningning that usually gave aespa song more texture than this bland taste.
SM seems to target US market again after 2023 failed attempt with this single given the friday release & english version, but I’m not sure if this kind of song is the trend in US right now.
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I don’t care for the song itself but the beat is soooo good
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Similarly to Whiplash (or maybe even Gnarly), this is mostly just a fire beat without anything else on top of it.
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I think this song will grow on me. That said, I can’t WAIT to see what the remixers do with this. Aespa’s songs make for some insane remixes, like the 2Spade remix of Armageddon (I will sing its praises forever) and the Steve Aoki Whiplash remix (also phenomenal). With the beat this song has already, it’s got the foundation laid. I look forward to seeing what some talented people do with it.
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Definitely one of their worst single to date. Production is on point as always but feels like a demo. Is it the same director as IVE/ Attitude? Some of the shots are nearly identical.
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If they invested in more metal-oriented sounds, this could be more refreshing, but unfortunately they present a lot of worn-out musical tropes. For that, they deserve a 7.25
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Production is chef’s kiss. Just stellar. But I absolutely agree this song drags even at its length. I got fed up halfway through. I too feel it’s one of their worst singles, if not the worst.
Armageddon is right up my alley, on the other hand.
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There is a such missed opportunity in the chorus. Gah! man oh man.
That line “real bad business, that’s dirty work” at 0:35 repeated twice
If they had fully sung it, with full voice in a sinister jazzy upwards crescendo, it would have made that emphasis and underline to the whole point of the song. A deep climb up to a soft vibrato on “work” held for juuuust long enough to get some personality into it. A clever contrast to the shorter staccato phrases. And it is so interesting melodically, something someone could really curl into, but as intoned here no one hears it. Its a killer line, and a clever hook, and it is just thrown away, buried underneath posturing.
Actually I like the song too, even if I hate the vocal choices. mid-8’s for me.
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why do I know I’m gonna agree with your comments before I even read them!
I don’t mind the vocal on the line you point out as much as you, but would have loved it if at least the 2nd time singing the line they did exactly what you said… would’ve been much more dynamic. Apply that to other places of the song and this would’ve been a 9+ effort for me.
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After singing and listening along a few more times, there is also enunciation. (Yes, I do appreciate that most of kpop are not native speakers, and there are many many times I sing along to heavily accented English lines. (“Just close your lips, shut your tongue”))
I am singing “Real Bad Bizz ness that’s dirty work”
They are intoning “rell Bah Bin ess dats dirty work”
This one is about consonants.
Real vs Rell = is fine. This note is more about hitting the low note to anchor and start the line. If they have to alter the pronunciation to do that, its fine.
Bad vs Bah = needs that very small d sound to close the word and keep some staccato in the line.
Bizz vs Bin = Z’s are great! Z’s are so useful for emotion. It adds a percussive sound that isn’t fry which this song already overuses. Pull that z right into the next note! Pleazzzzzzz
ness vs ess = is fine. its a short clipped note that should lead quickly into the next
that’s vs dats = in other contexts and songs, “dats” is a great substitute. Here, I am hearing the th sound as a propulsive little acceleration into the payoff of dirty work. and elongated tthhhhhh close with quick ats. The -ts in ats is also important and very small and short as it closes the word and keeps that staccato in the line. (“th” is a challenging consonant if you didn’t grow up doing it. The worst would be my favorite word “phthisis”. (phthisis is some kind of disease). The fff rolling over the lips to a thhh on the teeth without any vowel in between just air.)
dirty work – the “work” could have some more flair, some characteristic vibrato. Like how would someone like Raye would sing “work”. Its fine without it, but it is an opportunity to show personality.
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Unfortunately I feel like the decision to pronounce business as bihness /bidness was a conscious choice
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It reminds me of Allday Project and I don’t see appeal in both. I wish they would actually sing. My favorite song from them is Welcome to my world
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It doesn’t surprise me that the second gen fanboys of this site aren’t as keen on this track, but I think it is killer. While I agree that songs like this and Whiplash can lose their luster if overplayed, I tend to like them more because I’m listening to so many different songs, they never end up getting played out. So like a candy bar, I eat enough to love it, but not too much to get a stomach ache.
8,10,8,9 = 8.75
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I hope that aespa can return to the Supernova sound for their next comeback.
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This is very NCT U “Baggy Jeans” like. Not bad but not good
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The members looks stunning, they are amazing. but they certainly deserve better than this… I don’t like the song, like at all, it is bad bad. the music video is so good but looks familiar. the visuals on top.
musically, there is almost 0 parts that I do like in the whole song! I complain when songs are short but sometimes shorter songs are better done than longer ones. I have no idea what sm was thinking while doing this…..
I am sorry, it’s 3.5/10 to me.
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They usually pick their songs, so it’s kinda on them.
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Dang, Aespa needs an SOS from SM before they lose the plot entirely. As As a MY, by far the worst title track hands down. The girls did their absolute best with the composition and thematic elements and various styles, no complaints there, I have to say they nailed it performance-wise, but any enigma or interest that the song could have picked up in me is nowhere to be found due to the songwriting team’s failure to launch. Sad to say, this didn’t hit and it wasn’t even Aespa’s unforgettable signature of transporting us to a different realm and leave us shaken in our bones and interested in the actually inventive and innovative lore behind the lyrics further in the future that they would pull off given the opportunity, like the amazing Supernova, Armageddon or Savage, their peak. Where is the imagination and Faustian spirit in the architecture of design in their credit’s handiwork, or lack thereof? Can’t give this anymore than a 4/10.
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i’m sad because their musical output in 2024 was so good, supernova and whiplash are one of my top music picks from that year.
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It seems the enshittification of everything, including K-pop, is starting to reach Aespa, we’re not crazy 😦 Bgs have been on fire lately for the most part, though.
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“Enshittification” should become a new AI-driven NCT unit. Something like: NChiTification
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Makes sense, since 吃 means eating in Mandarin, to eat garbage, be absorbed or eradicated, dimension or “stammers” in Taiwanese Mandarin. Fits with NCT’s overall concept of inter-dimensional travel and the SMCU concept of Kwangya and inter-dimensional warfare 😂 Also since AI is eradicating and absorbing everything, including creativity.
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i feel like Whiplash worked because it gave stylish runway music. This though has two things i find irritating – 1) its very repetitive with no memorable beat change 2) the lyrics are heavily English and sound AI generated and cringey? But that’s not uncommon for kpop. Also I just HATE them pronouncing business as bidness. Just why? There was no reason to throw the AAVE in our face like that repetitively…specially after the recent controversies with kiss of life etc
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omg i just noticed how little korean there is in the song! it’s like 80% english 😭
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Interesting beat wasted on boring vocal lines and bad lyrics
Didn’t feel like giving this a score, I don’t think I’ll ever listen to this ever again
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I rolled my eyes over the lines about the mafia. Some lines in kpop just send me. I wish this had the propulsive energy of Whiplash. Anyway, we have a jazz cover of Whiplash, and I think taht would work great for this, too. https://youtu.be/ntK5C-OQ_Vo?si=8raXV_GOGsQuBQLz
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Absolute banger, nothing left to say.
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After having rolling over 2024, æspa can take some time to rest and explore new things. Here they are girlcrushing the laid-back way and if it’s not remarkable, it’s good and immediately recognizable. Good job on flow, girls!
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This song has grown on me over the past few days since release. I don’t think it beats any of their 2024 singles, but it’s solid. My main issue is that the last 30-45 seconds of the song could have used another verse. I felt it was dragged out with the chorus/hook.
Why is Giselle rapping about the Mafia though? lol. C’mon girl…
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Mmmmm I can see this being a grower actually. The thing is, this is an album intro.
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