I have always been a fan of high contrast in songs so I actually really vibed with this song on first listen 😅 I also just want to say that while Winter's vocals have always been my favorite overall, I think in this album Karina kinda blew me away.
Sage
2022-07-20 19:51:01 +0000 UTC
To be honest I've only listened to this album once because I knew it would just never be my thing haha (apart from Lucid Dream), but I remember having a very similar reaction to yours. "Sometimes the producer doesn't need to be the star" is a statement I totally agree with, there was so much going on that I just couldn't get into most of these tracks. And it is really frustrating, because those melodic parts of the songs are great, but I won't bother listening to them if I can't enjoy the other 80%.
A lot of people obviously love it though, so I think Aespa just aren't a group for me. I did want to check this reaction out to see what you thought though, it's an interesting album for sure.
Steph M
2022-06-28 17:29:12 +0000 UTC
Also I died when u said they sounded like power rangers in aenergy 🤣 gotta agree w u there 😂
shinwon swimming
2022-06-28 15:26:54 +0000 UTC
My first time checking out aespa bsides here and Im surprised that I kinda like them? except for maybe I’ll make you cry (I totally didn’t undst the song at first listen). Some of the lyrics are kinda cringe tho tbh. that and the spoken word part were the only ones that threw me off abit but otherwise I’m surprised I kinda didn’t mind the switch ups. I usually struggle a lot w their tts so I’m glad I enjoyed these tracks.
shinwon swimming
2022-06-28 15:23:21 +0000 UTC
I agree with you 110% lol. Such a phenomenal album. My 2nd gen kpop fan loves this music so much. Hard switches is so very 2nd gen and it’s my favorite genre 😂
Doyoungismyult
2022-06-28 04:16:15 +0000 UTC
It took me quite a while for the album to grow on me, but it has; Wasn't a fan on first listen, but I guess hearing it on shuffle got me to enjoy it more.
Stefan K
2022-06-28 03:52:54 +0000 UTC
This album was very hit or miss for me just because a lot of the songs were just so jarring. I love yeppi yeppi and lucid dream mostly because i feel like they are the most consistent sounding ones. Dont get me wrong though i didnt dislike the other songs by any means i just wouldnt seek them out when i want to listen to something.
CallMeCeri
2022-06-28 01:39:31 +0000 UTC
Oh, they're definitely put together better than "O.O" even if I still think it's a little off.
KpopPrince
2022-06-28 00:11:57 +0000 UTC
I like the whole album, but my favorites are Yeppi Yeppi, Iconic, and Lucid Dream. Although I will randomly get in the mood to listen to Aenergy like 10x in a row.
You mentioned being curious about other reactors. PD on their patreon and React to the K on their youtube channel checked out the album. I enjoyed both their reactions.
randomAlienVisitor
2022-06-27 23:26:47 +0000 UTC
Another hard disagree from me! I absolutely adored this album the second I listened to it. It was without a doubt my favorite mini album from last year. I still listen to it on a pretty consistent basis, and Im obsessed with the melody from Iconic. My favorite constantly changes between iconic and yeppi yeppi. I don´t know how to explain this, but this album just made a lot of sense to me, it felt like even though it is only their first mini album it did an amazing job capturing the aespa essence. I also love the journey it takes us from the anthem song (aenergy), to the climax (yeppi yeppi for me) to chiller songs, and Lucid dream is the perfect ending for it.
Having said that, I can see why it can be very bizarre on a first listen, but I appreciate you checking it out and hopefully with a couple more listens you get to like them! It´s fine if that never happens tho, there is a ton of music out there for every taste, and hopefully their new album is more to your taste!
Shiann E
2022-06-27 22:33:23 +0000 UTC
On first listen i didn't have any of the problems you are having lol. I liked Aespa, but after listening to the album it made me into a "MY" (their fandom name).
Along with Billlie's Ring x Ring album, this was one of my favorite albums in 2021.
randomAlienVisitor
2022-06-27 22:33:04 +0000 UTC
Yeah, I guess I just disagree that it doesn't work in this case, or that the songs don't have a solid identity despite the variety within the tracks.
Like, a song like NMIXX's O.O, as much as I appreciate how wild and ridiculous that song is, is definitely a mish-mash of multiple songs by different producers that JYP chopped up and glued together with no rhyme or reason. I don't get that same lack of a coherent identity from what SM's doing with the songs on this album. The change-ups feel more intentional and considered to me.
I don't really have a way to quantify why I feel it's different here, it's just the feeling I get from it, and you having a different feeling is of course totally valid!
Chris S
2022-06-27 22:30:23 +0000 UTC
I get being unconventional, but it's often used as a shield for when the song simply isn't produced well. Not saying that's the case here, I just wish the songs had an identity and not 3 simultaneously. It's when they're brought together on the same track, as a whole experience, where I find it doesn't work great here. At least upon first listen.
KpopPrince
2022-06-27 22:05:03 +0000 UTC
I get where you're coming from, but I can't say I personally agree. To answer your question, I loved every song on this album on first listen, and it's probably a top three album from last year for me. I have extremely varied tastes in music and listen to a lot of stuff that doesn't follow conventional pop song structure, though, so the change-ups in sound and beat within the songs doesn't bother me at all. I totally understand why it's off-putting for some people, though. Hopefully their next album has more songs that are to your taste, especially since you bought it already, lol
Chris S
2022-06-27 21:52:47 +0000 UTC
Aenergy is like their concert/stage opener, they did a modified version during Coachella and got the crowd involved which was pretty hype. The bass hits a lot harder without youtube audio quality. Aenergy is one of the few intro songs that i do listen to often, b/c its more of like an anthem song than an intro
randomAlienVisitor
2022-06-27 21:34:11 +0000 UTC
The album is a great intro to them. I love how their music is a mix of hyperpop, electropop, rnb & general 2nd gen sound but in a 4th gen manner which makes sense considering aespa is like yoo young jin group and he has a lot of direction on 1st & 2nd gen sm groups just as he is now with aespa, they also cover one of his songs "forever" which showcase their vocals so well
random fact but ænergy song, most of sm groups had songs like that too lol
lucid dream is a prefect song. one of my favorite b-sides released last year