November also saw the return of aespa, who came back with the single and mini-album of the same name, Drama. This follows on from the very high standard set by aespa with their MY WORLD mini-album from May of last year. It also follows on from aespa’s all-English July Better Things single release, which is also featured on their latest mini-album alongside Drama and 5 additional side tracks.

As mentioned above, their previous mini-album set a really high bar. And while Drama doesn’t meet that high standard this time around, it definitely gets quite close to it. For more on the mini-album, see below.

1. Drama (Title Track) – Originally, I said that the choruses for Drama was plain. But per usual, multiple listens after the review have resulted in me realising that the choruses are quite addictive and catchy. This means my thoughts on Drama will need to be tweaked (and I will do so in a future post). As for now, I have decided to bump my song rating for Drama from 7.5 to 9. Click here for my original thoughts on Drama. (9/10)

2. Trick or Trick – Trick or Trick continues the boldness charm that is present in the title track into this bass-heavy dance track. And some parts of the song actually help exceed the previous level of boldness, such as the striking hooks that the members deliver (e.g., “Now you see me, now you don’t”) and even the main grungy twinkling synth in the instrumentation. I really liked the overall intensity in this track and the powerful vocals we do get in this track. This potentially could have been title track material, had Drama not ended up being as ear-wormy as it did. (9/10)

3. Don’t Blink – For some reason, people have described Don’t Blink as ‘country-like’. While I do hear a tinge of that influence in the instrumentation thanks to the guitar riffs, the rest of Don’t Blink conforms more into pop territory. I did agree and liked with the vocal focus of the song, and the rapping featured in the bridge was very clean. The melodies and hooks were very simple, and the additional synths (particularly at the end of the song) was a nice touch. (8/10)

4. Hot Air Balloon – Deviating from the usual aespa serious style is the very bright and bubbly Hot Air Balloon. I find myself smiling when I listen to the song, just because the instrumentation just feels fun and amusing. I particularly like the crunchy textures in the midst of all the child-like and fun energy that is in Hot Air Balloon. Similarly, aespa’s higher pitched vocals follow the same train, and brings to us some memorable hooks and delivery styles. Out of all the side tracks on this mini-album, this one sticks out and for all of the right reasons. (10/10)

5. YOLO – I may sound like an old person here, but YOLO is one of the words that is the bane of my existence. You can imagine I wasn’t thrilled when I saw the title on the tracklist. But YOLO ends up being one of my favourite track on this mini-album. The pop-punk energy from the get-go is top tier and the members match this with ease with their bright and shouty delivery. The percussion comes down at the right moments to give off an epic tone. Everything feels full-on and practically remains in that gear for majority of the song, which admittedly is not for everyone. But it was mine and I thoroughly enjoyed YOLO (even if the title still irks me). (9/10)

6. You – Per usual, the final new song on the mini-album is their softest number. I am glad that the group didn’t go into ballad territory. Instead, they went towards a R&B motif and maintained that bright energy that they had channelled in the latter half of this mini-album. The orchestral instrumental is quite beautiful. As for the members and their vocals, they demonstrate why we should have them on their radar. Their vocal performance, just like in other songs on this mini-album, was truly captivating, and I liked their delicate and sincere tone. (8.5/10)

7. Better Things – Click here for my review for Better Things. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10