Just listened to aespa's album Savage
aenergy is a great opening song, it sets up the mood of the album and is a great showcase of aespa's signature style. Also a pretty coherent song, I think Westerners would enjoy this more than the title track. +
After a great build up comes the mini's main banger, Savage. Everyone has their opinion about the song so I won't talk about it, jut say it's the album peak in terms of energy (or aenergy as would aespa say). +
Then comes I'll Make You Cry, a slower song and good breather before what could be the album's second peak. +
Then comes the song that breaks the album for me, YEPPI YEPPI. It's not a bad song per se, but it feels out of place in this mini. There are some moments it feels like an aespa song, but overrall it doesn't sit right. Especially since the #4 spot should have gone to a banger following the build up from I'll Make You Cry. This songs kill the momenum, -
ICONIC brings back the aespa sound, and could've been a great song to finish the album (talk more about later), but it suffers from how weak YEPPI YEPPI is, as after two lower energy songs they would go harder, +
Lucid Dream I find hard to rate. It's commom for albums to finish with a ballad, but for aespa I think ending with a bang would fit better. Or something like ICONIC at least. The song is not as slow as a usual ballad, and it doesn't feel too out of aespa's image, but still -
Overrall the album is pretty consistent with the exception of YEPPI YEPPI, which is the major issue. No song after Savage reaches the same height as the former or aenergy. IMO if SM had gone with aenergy > Savage > IMYC > another banger > Iconic it would be 10/10. I have to say every song other than Lucid Dream feels like something they could perform on stage (even YY).
8.3/10