Two years is a long time in K-pop and, with Aespa having last released a full-length in 2024, ‘Lemonade’ clearly aims to restate their claim to being one of the industry’s most exciting and forward-thinking groups. For the most part, their second album succeeds in sounding futuristic, simultaneously aware of the sounds in vogue today and future developments they might help bring into being.
On the opener WDA (Whole Different Animal) the quartet rap in turn over the relative minimalism of its skipping beat, with swagger to their lines as they declare that they’re simply built different. G-Dragon fits in seamlessly too in just one of three features across the album.
The title track is a future club banger, its neon soaked synths conjuring the raves of Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. Lyrically it’s about resilience and self-belief, safe choices for a group who have broadly made experimental production their calling card.
They team up with Ty Dolla $ign for Switchblade, an immediate, firecracker track built around repeated calls of “switch it up” and trance-like beats.
Elsewhere, though, there are a couple of missteps. Camouflage promises dream-pop synths and doesn’t fully deliver, seemingly afraid of committing and perhaps sounding a little too much like ‘Brat’-era Charli xcx in its verses.
On the other side, Roll repurposes the nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat and is overly kitsch and uninspired with dull production. Overall, though, this remains Aespa’s most cohesive work yet, the (mostly) bold and forward-thinking production choices adding dynamic edge to songs that, lyrically, are largely par for the course and lacking genuine earworm hooks. A good album, but not the slam dunk they perhaps hoped for.
Aespa Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu January 14 2027 - MANCHESTER AO Arena
Sat January 16 2027 - LONDON O2 Arena
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