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Five months after the release of their first album, Armageddon, Aespa has made a comeback with their fifth mini album, Whiplash, with "Whiplash" being the lead single and title track.
"Whiplash"
In my review of "Supernova," I wrote how "Supernova" sounds like the type of song that could be played on a runaway or car commercial, "Whiplash" takes that sound to the next level; it feels haute couture as if a catwalk has been transformed into music.
The beat of "Whiplash" is extremely catchy and so is the chorus -I can't stop repeating "one look give 'em Whiplash"-. The bass sound is marvelous; I love it.
The MV is outstanding. Although the sets are super simple, the music video is still eye-catching thanks to the fantastic direction and editing; the (fast-paced) transitions are out of this world.
Another eye-catching thing about the music video is the flashing of parts of the lyrics throughout the video in an almost subliminal way.
My favorite parts of the music video are Ningning falling down after Giselle takes her heel, which I found hilarious (starting from 1:23), and the part with Karina inside the car (starting from 1:47), which is the highlight of the video for me; it's great.
By the way, I thought that the new Ae's were going to appear in the video, but they didn't...
Style-wise, I like the outfits in this music video. My favorite looks were the camo ones, especially Ningning's (I don't like her shoes though).
The black outfits with some silver details look great, I really like Karina's odd shoe situation.
I love the big Whiplash accessories the members wear with the black outfits, if I had money in this moment I would buy one.
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Rating
Song – 10/10
MV – 10/10
Choreography – 10/10
Style – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10
Song Credits
Release Date: October 21, 2024.
Length: 3 min 03 sec.
Lyrics by: Leslie (XYXX).
Music by: Marcus "MarcLo" Lomax, Neil Ormandy, Rosina "Soaky Siren" Russell, and Lewis Jankel.
Arranged by: Lewis Jankel and Neil Ormandy.
MV Directed by: Meltmirror (Segaji Video).
"Kill It"
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Length: 3:20.
Lyrics: Hyun Ji-Won.
Music: Imlay, Ejae, and Kirsten Collins.
Arrangement: Imlay.
I didn't like this song at first, but as it went on it grew on me. "Kill It" feels like a close relative of "Savage;" they are both great.
Rating – 10/10
"Flights, not Feelings"
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Length: 3:02.
Lyrics: Lee Hye-Yum (Jam Factory).
Music: Honey Noise (The Hub), Brown Panda (The Hub), Frankie Day (The Hub), and Chanti (The Hub).
Arrangement: Honey Noise and Brown Panda.
Same sentiment as with the previous song, at first I was kind of meh on "Flight, not Feelings," but as it went on I loved it. The pre-chorus and post-chorus are my favorite parts; they are phenomenal.
Rating – 10/10
"Pink Hoodie"
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Length: 2:27.
Lyrics: Lee Eun-Hwa (153/Joombas).
Music: Didrik Thott, Sebastian Thott, and Maria Marcus.
Arrangement: Sebastian Thott.
"Pink Hoodie" is a good song; I love the bridge ﹘ it's my favorite part.
If I were to make a playlist I would put "Pink Hoodie" and "Baggy Jeans" by NCT U together, lol.
Rating – 9/10
"Flowers"
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Length: 3:11.
Lyrics: Ji Ye-Won (153/Joombas).
Music: Sofia Kay, Chantry Johnson, and Noémie Legrand.
Arrangement: Chantry Johnson.
"Flowers" is fantastic! I love it. The rhythm is just so great, the guitar sounds amazing, and everything about this song is so wonderful. I hope they promote it on music shows!
Rating – 10/10
"Just Another Girl"
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Length: 3:04.
Lyrics: Lee Seu-Ran.
Music: Fabian Torsson, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, Ellen Berg, and Nermin Harambašić.
Arrangement: Phat Fabe.
"Just Another Girl" it's not my type of song, but I have to admit that I enjoyed it a bit more than what I initially thought I was going to enjoy it.
Rating – 9/10
Final Thoughts
Whiplash is a great mini album. The songs that stood out the most for me were the title track "Whiplash" and "Flowers," which is fantastic. As I wrote before, Aespa should promote "Flowers" on music shows or at least do a special stage!