I have such mixed feelings abound aespa in 2026. They are undoubtedly one of the most influentual girl groups of this era, but their influence has been both positive and negative. Songs like Supernova and Whiplash helped usher in a higher BPM and more electronic-centered soundscape for K-pop, yet they also promoted a talk-heavy style that many other groups have copied to the point where it’s become cliche. Add to that the fact that I haven’t fully enjoyed an aespa single since 2024 and it feels like we’re at the edge of a precipice.
Rather than overcome or succumb to that pressure, new title track Lemonade simply embraces the trends aespa helped originate. It’s incredibly talky but also bolstered by an incredibly enjoyable club beat. I know we’re not supposed to evaluate music on what we wish it was, but I can’t help but imagine how much of a knockout Lemonade‘s production would be with equally strong melodies anchoring it. The beat pulses with force and energy that’s very refreshing and seems to promise a chorus for the ages. Instead, we get yet another catchphrase hook that teeters between “addictive” and “annoying”. I can’t tell which way this hook will fall when all is said and done, but I know that a huge, sung refrain bolstered by aespa’s powerful vocals would have been a showstopping moment for the ages.
Okay, enough living in fantasy land. We can’t expect K-pop songs to have choruses these days, can we? In the world of “charismatic talking over a club beat,” this is about as good as you could hope for. Charisma is on full display and there’s enough variety in the rhythm of aespa’s speech to make the verses ear-catching. I don’t think they’ll have the staying power I’d hope for, but they get the job done.
I’m not sure what “I’ll make you lemonade, I got no ETA” is supposed to mean or how any of those words connect to each other, but I’ll just pretend they’re saying “Wow, Fantastic Baby” and this is some bizarro-world ode to that 2012 classic. Of course, that classic actually had an epic vocal build and satisfying drop, so maybe it’s better to bop along mindlessly without conjuring Lemonade‘s more fleshed-out forebearers. This is boppable enough. Hopefully it will inspire other groups to better the formula later this year.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 8 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
Grade: B
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
the production is definitely better than the song, i love its drive so much and it could easily be bolstered by some stronger melodies but i guess i’ll take what i get
LikeLiked by 3 people
I really don’t understand their tactic…
Rich Man was bottom of the barrel garbage soup and flopped terribly so their strategy is to reheat whiplash( straight take on gay music) nachos and make it even more straight? Okay girls😭
7/10💔
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ngl, it reminds me of Fairy Mai’s Lipstick but that song was brasher and had more bite to it. I like the chorus here, it’s camp, silly and sounds like it’ll be fun in live performances. Idk how it’ll age for me either but let’s see.
Rating’s the same.
LikeLike
say on your life this is the hook of the single I waited 10 years for….this is not SM Entertainment no way….I don’t recognize my club anymore
LikeLike
Ooh I quite like this, mainly because of the beats and how fun & unserious the chorus is. The girls sell the entire thing about as well as anyone could.
I’d probably rate this a tad higher, 8.5 (I’m a big aespa fan after all), and yes, this is far, far better than the abomination that was Rich Man.
LikeLike
anyway heres what might be one of the worst songs of the year!! (spoiler it interpolates row row row your boar)
LikeLiked by 3 people
so true we gotta leave the nursery rhymes behind forever 😭😭😭 pleasantly surprised by some of the other bsides
LikeLike
the ILL MAKE YOU LEMONADE is just so fucking loud and grating. like please lower winters and karina’s voice sliders wtf
LikeLike
LMAO. everytime it came up my ears literally squirmed.
LikeLike
i think the lyrics are nonsensical enough for this to be camp, if I’m squinting I can even imagine this to be aespa mocking their own trend. And if that theory is right then the next era might be different and hopefully better. Let’s hope 😭
LikeLike
I guess I’m finally in the time where I’ll just ignore the melody (and the lyrics) to make myself enjoy the vibes and production more. Speaking out of the bad lyrics, it is very danceable for me.
However I just wish the final chorus could be more… oomph. It’s kinda lacking the final confetti moment – even though they have added some of the high note ad-libs on it, but it is just so close to make it even better. I can think of if any guitar riff or another synth underlying could make it better but… meh. So close to a 9.
Imma rate it a 8.75.
LikeLiked by 1 person
it’s a lot better than WDA but I have the same problems. it’s basically Whiplash summer edition. production is definitely doing the heavy-lifting here.
album is their best in a while, there’s only one truly bad song.
LikeLiked by 1 person
whiplash summer edition is spot on!! it definitely feels similar
LikeLike
We all know that aespa post-Whiplash era songs are not spectacular, but it did not mean they should go back to the same song again, where is the creativity.
Lemonade is just another Whiplash inferior copy. They literally used the same beat then change the chorus and hook. Granted it was more listenable than WDA, but why would people listen this when they can just play Whiplash. The only thing saving the song is Winter and Ningning vocals part.
Listening to the whole album, there is not any tracks with enough replay value. I can’t stand their vocal tone in Shakin, its not enjoyable. Roll is another bad nursery rhyme inspired song. Switchblade is not bad, only thanks to the rapper that give the song more texture. Till We Die is good but kinda generic. Becky G ver is not needed, I did not even notice where her parts in the song. Armageddon album is much better than this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
why is it SO HARD for kpop songs to have a very good chorus AND equally good verses. I like the verses but the chorus is just meh.
LikeLike
LEMONADE is objectively a good song but the way the post-chorus is so identical to Whiplash bothers me. As you say production is fierce and incredibly strong however it’s sad they didn’t try a bit harder to surprise their fans. same for the MV that’s a bit clumsy while echoing their best past videos.
and the album sounds a bit dated overall , they don’t experiment with new styles or trends even if it’s all pretty decent. Switchblade is great though, hope they do a MV
LikeLike
I’m kinda sad that we are now deprived of the vocal æspa.
This kinda reminds me my first time listening Supernova (I was serving in the military lol and I was humming the refrain like crazy). But after Whiplash, I wasn’t really hooked to their other songs, even though the public was frothing in the mouth praising it’s “metal” (not the genre) flavour approach. WDA was also a bit niche for me and so does Lemonade. The best part of the song for me is its instrumental. I like the throbbing bass and weird sound affects, very Whiplash-coded. But the chorus felt almost juvenile and I wish they had a different one.
Thank GOD they added a bit more vocals in Lemonade, I was getting tired of the girls sing-talking when they could actually sing.
LikeLike
Yeah, aespa is a very capable group vocally, and it’s such a shame they’ve been given constantly talk-singing songs for the past few comeback seasons, even if I thoroughly enjoy some of them (Supernova and Whiplash). I would KILL to hear them release something like, or at least do covers of, a 9muses or an f(x) song.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love them to cover NEWS, WILD, or even Lip 2 Lip. About F(X), I think Red Light would be stunning.
LikeLike
Don’t forget about Figaro. The girls would absolutely nail that song, particularly the “give up up tonight, nan geureon sigeuron andwae” part 😩.
The three f(x) title tracks I would love to hear aespa cover or take inspiration from the most would be Rum Pum Pum Pum, Pinocchio, and yes Red Light. Heck, I would take an f(x)-inspired song from any k-pop group.
LikeLike
Aespa did do a cover of Rum Pum Pum Pum for the SM 30th anniversary album last year.
LikeLike
and also Hate and Crazy by 4MINUTE
LikeLike
This is absolutely the best album of the year, even surpassing their widely acclaimed first release. After 25 years of relatively modest chart performance, they’ve finally returned to their peak—and arguably exceeded it. “WDA,” a somewhat controversial pre-release track, works brilliantly as the intro on this album, giving it a unique flavor.
Next up is the title track, Lemonade. It’s easy to see that SM Entertainment is trying to recapture the formula that made aespa so successful from 2023 to 2024, blending elements from Spicy, Supernova, and Whiplash. The result is impressive: the tartness of the lemon perfectly complements the metallic sheen of the house-inspired production.
Then comes the unmistakably aespa track, Shakin’, which carries the same gritty metallic edge the group has always maintained. Can’t Help Myself delivers exactly what I wanted from a Rich Man-style track—but they ditch the rap cadence in favor of their outstanding vocals, which perfectly interplay with the guitar-driven accompaniment.
Camouflage is the biggest surprise for me on this album. Its dreamy hyperpop sound isn’t something aespa has explored much in the past, yet it stands out as arguably the peak of the album. Bite caters to a more niche taste, but the experimental production is exactly what I love—challenging, inventive K-pop. Switchblade, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, makes it impossible not to move along with the rhythm.
The remaining tracks lean more toward fan service and traditional pop. While some might think this breaks the album’s cohesion, I actually enjoy the breather after the exhilarating early tracks of Lemonade. A little variety can be refreshing, right?
Here’s how I’d rate each track:
WDA – 8.5/10
Lemonade – 9/10
SHAKIN’ – 9.5/10
Can’t Help Myself – 9/10
Camouflage – 10/10
Bite – 9.5/10
Switchblade – 8.5/10
Roll – 6/10
My Plan – 7.5/10
’Til We Die – 7/10
Overall, I genuinely believe this is the best K-pop album of the year—without question.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Correction: “After the 2025 year of relatively modest chart performance”
LikeLike
The bridge is the best part (minus Giselle’s annoying part). I like Ningning and Winter’s parts the most. Maybe it’s just me but I really hate their vocals together in the chorus. It sounds so bratty that it becomes damn annoying. I’d probably turn it off during the chorus if it randomly came on the radio.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well put! I sat there and endured the whole song, cuz of brand power and my love of EDM I guess, but it’s a channel-changer!
LikeLike
their voices together in the chorus are “ear-bleeding” and the song overall is kinda bland? the instrumental is great but thats just it. i miss their voices from their debut era, now they just sound so screechy i literally cannot even listen to it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I actually love the instrumental, but I hate the entire vocal! The cringe English lyrics are back again, and the overall shrill, bratty tone is like nails on a chalkboard. Maybe I’m just sick of them atp but I’m struggling to even give this a 6.
Even just skimming this album is exhausting. Camouflage sounded ok. I’m curious to know Nick’s and everyone’s notable b-sides to help save me some time and suffering.
LikeLike
Haha they do sound bratty & silly in the chorus part, but then again, aespa is one of the (very) few groups who could make that style of talk-singing sound bearable. Yes, I am definitely biased here 😅. I just really LOVE the vocal tones of 3 out of 4 of the aespa girls (Ningning, Winter, Karina).
LikeLike
8
Production is great. Lyrics are solid. The metaphors used are consistent to the theme. Love this Winter line: “I can take whatever put it all over my body / That’s fashion”. Not as good as Supernova, that’s a high bar, but one of their better written title songs.
LikeLike
… … … Pass.
Especially that row row row your boat song.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Based on the title, I was hoping we would get a Sistar-type summer song, or at least something interesting to welcome the summer season. Instead, we got this track, which is honestly just annoying to listen to. It feels like Whiplash’s annoying little sister who had a little too much fun playing with sugar.
I for real hate the lyrics so much(the bragging, Ningning speaking broken Spanish, and them promising to make lemonade only to turn around and start nagging us). Bruh, these brag tracks keep getting worse and worse. Even the bridge (which is usually the only decent part of a track) was bad this time. I feel like SM is wasting aespa’s potential just to chase trends. The girls are very capable and have funny personalities, yet we get songs like this that showcase absolutely nothing.
I’m just going to quickly list some styles of artists that aespa should try out instead—ones that would actually do them justice(Brown Eyed Girls, SNSD, Dreamcatcher, GFRIEND, 9Muses, Early Mamamoo, Lovelyz, Apink, f(x), KARA)
Trust me, the list goes on and on. They could do whatever they want (to a certain extent) and somehow pull it off if the girls can sell it and put their vocals on full display. But instead, the girls have to sing about making lemonade and liking their karma straight. I’ve only been a K-pop stan for around three years, yet I still listen to older SM groups and songs, and you can obviously tell the difference in quality. This is just sad to see, and it makes the listening experience so much more unbearable.
If any of you guys actually listened to the full album, please tell me if any of the B-sides are actually listenable, because I can’t stand them right now and this title track leaves a bad taste in my mouth, just like Cortis’s “Acai” (let’s not ruin food and drinks, shall we?).
Besides a few good tracks so far in the year, girl groups have been lacking a lot lately and really need to step up their game. Otherwise, they will fail to capture the public’s attention(i’m saying this as a boy group stan). Right now, aespa has only released one title track that was interesting (Supernova); other than that, they have been lacking. I guess I’m just going to have to wait and hope that they eventually give the girls some good music.
Final Rating: High 6 (“Boompala” might have some serious competition for the worst kpop song of 2026 so far.)
LikeLiked by 2 people
I dunno, I actually kind of like it, and I don’t usually resonate with aespa titles on a first listen (including Supernova, which took me a couple tries). Thought it might be because I listened to it at too low or a volume to be grating at first, so I got out the headphones and listened again and still wasn’t annoyed by it, so I’ll keep it for now. We’ll see if it grows or fades! Would I love to hear them make better use of the insane vocals I know they’re capable of? Always yes, but this one’s pretty fun, less serious, and danceable, so I’ll take it!
LikeLike