Review

Buried Treasure: aespa – YOLO

Posted on by 7 Comments

aespa - YOLOA K-pop act’s title track isn’t always the best song on their album, even if it’s the one most people will hear. Sometimes, b-sides deserve recognition too. In the singles-oriented world of K-pop, I want to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve.

I’ll always be that person who rushes toward album tracklists to see who the songs’ producers are. Whether I already enjoy an act or not, that behind-the-scenes talent is what really gets me excited about a song. And, as soon as I saw the name Albi Albertsson on aespa’s YOLO, I knew this would be a standout. This guy has delivered a number of classics and tends to craft great hooks and exciting instrumentals.

There aren’t many fantastic melodies to be found on aespa’s new album, but around track four the music takes a definite turn. Hot Air Balloon is a little too cutesy for me, but YOLO strikes a better balance. Its production is bold and anthemic, and although there are still plenty of chanted catchphrasey moments, the melodies are hearty and exciting. The overall sound is not too dissimilar from Red Velvet’s work on their 2017 The Red Summer album. It has that big, throw-everything-at-the-wall sense of cacophony, held together by tight songwriting and a series of charismatic vocals.

I’m not sure this is the style I want aespa to pursue in the future, but it’s nice to hear them having fun. This would have made a great summer single, though the term “YOLO” is definitely outdated.

 Hooks 8
 Production 9
 Longevity 9
 Bias 8
 RATING 8.5

Grade: B

7 thoughts on “Buried Treasure: aespa – YOLO”

  1. I love this oen. I’m surprised to see it getting a pretty split opinion on the internet, but I guess some younger listeners get turned off by the explosive edm approach.

    Also this is def one of my favorite Anna Timgren toplines. I feel like those chirpy singtalks interspersed are her signature, and I love how quickly the pop around the strong melody.

    and jeez does this explode at the end. I remember seeing this at Hyper synk tour and being kinda shocked by it…was just so massive.

    I also agree YOLO is a cringe term from 2011 but I forgive them in this case.

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    • I initially didn’t like this, I felt like it was so anthemic that it just felt cheap and like an advertisement, which definitely wasn’t helped by the Y..O..L..O part (which is repeated too many times for my liking, still..😅). So yeah, I agree it’s pretty good, but I like don’t blink, hot air balloon and even trick or trick more

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    • as someone who works in audio, I’ll add that’s incredible difficult to blend synths and distorted guitars. A lot of songs that do it well, switch between a guitar and synth centric sections.

      To me Wayv’s Turn Back Time is one of the best mix jobs, combining heavy guitars with lots of synth textures.
      But it’s very difficult!!

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  3. I personally like Trick or Trick from this album the best. It has a similar vibe to Drama, but stays fun throughout – no dreary chorus.

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