Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
After a bit of a changeup with pre-release “Life’s Too Short“, aespa have returned with their more on-brand single, at least in terms of energy, with “Girls“.
Surprisingly though, the instrumental sections feel a bit flat, more similar to “Next Level” than the intrigue “Savage” provided on that front with the hyper-pop stuff, and the chorus somewhat blends with the fourth-generation girl crush trend than it stands out, even if the vocal runs are a nice switch. I assume its popularity will hinge on how big the closing hook of “we them girls” goes on TikTok or whatever, and given their platform it’s certainly likely, but it doesn’t make for a quality song and the listener is left wanting.
Honestly, what they should’ve done is leaned into the intriguing pre-chorus and the electronic section of the bridge, which are the primary elements that showed a bit of the life and edge they achieve at their best. Instead, it settles for a nice futuristic vibe that’s a bit spacey in nature, but it unfortunately kinda lets the listener die out there as well.
