There was a time when a collaboration between artists like aespa and G-Dragon would have seemed almost unthinkable. SM and YG were the biggest rivals in K-pop, after all. However, G-Dragon’s not part of YG anymore and SM is a shell of what it used to be now that so much more competition floods the K-pop market. Even so, this pairing still caught my attention as a potential moment of greatness when two huge K-pop forces collide.
WDA (Whole Different Animal) is a pre-release for aespa’s upcoming album. Last time they dropped a pre-release like this, that song went on to dominate the charts all year. Producer Dem Jointz was attached to that project as well and I’m sure everyone involved would love for WDA to replicate Supernova‘s success. This time, the aesthetic is far more indebted to hip-hop, though a few electronic flourishes poke through in the instrumental. Since Whiplash, aespa have become more of a “charismatic talk” group than a “singing” group, which seems to work for them commercially. However, I can’t help but wonder how WDA might sound if it had some melodies — or a meaningful structure at all.
G-Dragon is barely a presence on this track, though it seems that much of his input came as a co-writer. You can hear a bit of his colorful point of view poking through, but the song needs to be twice as cheeky because right now things feel way too serious to be fun. Remember when K-pop used to be fun, above all else? Now, 90% of girl groups are retreading the same “I’m the best” subject matter and the boasts grow more and more hollow with each passing year. It takes a fantastic song to elevate this tired concept and WDA is barely a song at all. It’s musical branding, more suitable to an album trailer than a chart-dominating hit.
| Hooks | 6 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
Grade: C
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Ngl, I LOVE the percussions and the synth textures also add to the menacing vibes of the track. But yeah, I wish there were more melodies, but overall, I highkey vibe with it!
7.75 (6, 9, 8, 8) for me
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the lyrics are borderline cringey. The aave is not a good fit with aespa.
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Yeah, aespa discography really just went downhill after Whiplash. I am not really a fan of this ‘charismatic talk’ concept as aespa can’t pull it of as good as GD. The melody part is almost non-existent, it is hard to enjoy the song if you are not a diehard hip-hop or rap music fan.
This is easily the worst aespa release since Better Things. I hope Lemonade can change the album for the better….
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The most interesting part was GD’s verse, and that’s only because it’s a big switchup im vocal tone lol. I kept wondering when the chorus would hit, then I realized the part with “she’s a whole different animal” IS the chorus, which is disappointing
there’s just nothing to this track, nothing that gives it a unique identity. 5.75 for me
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You’re too kind, as usual. I think it’s better than Rich Man, worse than Dirty Work. Oh well, we have H2H pumping out hits constantly now, so who cares? Out with the old and in with the new!
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Mate I don’t think the girls could release anything worse than Rich Man 😬. What an awful release Rich Man was. Terrible songwriting and an even worse choreography.
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Not bad overall. I like the beat and some of the flourishes but it’s sorely missing a proper chorus and I don’t think it quite gets as intense as it should. I’d rank it below Dirty Work (but I’m a Dirty Work truther)
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was this even a song? Don’t recall singing involved or is this just someone reading a bunch of non related lines off a piece of paper?
Personally I can’t even begin to rate this
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aespa didn’t spend YEARS training just to talk over a beat smh
7 out of the 7.25 is for the instrumental
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As a non-English speaker, it’s kinda hard for me to tell whether they’re just throwing together almost random words to make things rhyme and sound rap-heavy, or if this is actually hip hop at its finest 😐… It still feels pretty disjointed and hard to describe… The chorus doesn’t even feel like a chorus, the transitions between the verses are really poorly structured, and honestly, the only thing I like is the electric synth…
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