aespa’s ‘Armageddon – The 1st Album’: All 10 Songs Ranked

While Armeggedon begins super strong with K-pop singles “Supernova” and the title track, third track “Set the Tone” feels like a jerky left turn. The thumping hip-hop track brings exhilarating punches of synthesizers on the production but ultimately doesn’t feel as successful or convincing of a performance from the aespa members.

With such a unique song title and synth work that is so satisfyingly crunchy, a song about the exhilaration of the group chat gets a bit overrun with a few too many messages and aespa will bring far more interesting topics to other songs in Armeggedon.

A sweet fan anthem dedicated to aespa’s MYs, “Melody” brings a delightful piano for the members to sing directly to their supporters: “You make me feel so lucky,” they sing. “‘Cause you’re MY whole world.” It’s a suitable way to close out aespa’s first full-length album and feels like a bit of a throwback to a trend from classic K-pop albums of the past that tend to end with a fan-dedicated track and slowing down the tempo.

An unexpected tropical vibe takes hold at the halfway mark with “BAHAMA” as track No. 6 to show aespa is, once again, never going to deliver one flavor but instead show off their range, even more so on a full-length.

Opening with an addictive churning rock-pop hook, “Licorice” speaks to an infatuation unlike anything you’ve experienced before. They croon, “It tastes so sweet but sour / Oh, sugar and spice… / You’re like licorice.”

Despite aespa’s metaverse concept and larger-than-life personas, we love hearing them lean into their human side on “Prologue.” Over a deceivingly upbeat pop production, the girls address the difficulties and messiness of growing up, admitting to anxiety, disappointments, and loss of passion. But hearing the aespa ladies declare, “Baby, I’m a weirdo, I know” in the chorus is super refreshing and makes the listener feel like maybe we’re all more alike than we realize.

A surefire future concert favorite, “Live My Life” brings a previously explored rock edge to aespa’s musical world. Embracing those who dare to be different and dream, the empowerment anthem feels like what aespa’s first original English single “Life’s Too Short” should have been — bold, exhilarating and makes clear why they’re so different like “Live My Life” does versus “Life’s Too Short” which felt like aespa trying to blend into Top 40 radio fodder with a safe, acoustic pop sound.

As the centerpiece title track single in aespa’s first full-length album, “Armageddon” does an excellent job of being a true statement piece. The harder hip-hop glimmer feels like the appropriate next evolution from past singles and allows the quartet to deliver heavier confidence and emphasize their power as a group. Unexpected points of the song, like the “Bang chitty bang bang” pre-chorus or the stretched-out hums on the chorus, slowly get stuck in the listeners’ heads and eventually become some of the most memorable parts of the track. Another unanticipated but wholly welcomed moment comes into the chant-heavy outro where it sounds like aespa is signaling the next phase of their pop invasion, telling listeners, “Warning: All night long.”

With the same icy coolness as some of aespa’s most experimental cuts, “Mine” should go down as one of the best b-sides of K-pop in 2024 in large part thanks to a fascinating assemblage of vocal distortions and effects utilized. The members’ voices go from dark and deep to glitchy and sweet as they sing about facing their inner demons, with the lyrical and production choices adding a deeper layer to the song’s overall meaning.

aespa couldn’t have asked for a better kickoff to this album. A glittering cosmic dance track, Supernova” introduces this new chapter of aespa’s storytelling into their new universe and opens doors to a whole new dimension. Showcasing KARINA and GISELLE’s biting rap styles with WINTER and NINGNING at their absolute best, “Supernova” feels like the type of track only aespa could pull off, making it all the more perfect of a return to form. Plus, the additional whirring synthesizers that join midway through the second verse are a final cherry on top to show how “Supernova” isn’t using copy-paste formulas — a staple throughout aespa’s strongest music moments with this new track as a shining jewel in their K-pop crowns.