aespa have returned with the fiery new single ‘Dirty Work’.
- READ MORE: aespa – ‘Armageddon’ review: the girl group shine brightest at their most experimental
Last week (June 27), the SM Entertainment group finally revealed ‘Dirty Work’ after weeks of teases. The full video – which you can watch below – sees the quartet and an assortment of backing dancers break out into dance across several stunning set pieces, including a desolate construction site, mud fields and more.
Additionally, the group have also released a separate version of ‘Dirty Work’ featuring rapper Flo Milli, as well as a remix EP featuring reworks from RayRay and more.
The comeback is their first since releasing the mini-album ‘Whiplash’ in late October. Besides the title track, that EP also included the songs ‘Kill It’, ‘Flights, Not Feelings’, ‘Pink Hoodie’, ‘Flowers’ and ‘Just Another Girl’.
In December, aespa’s ‘Supernova’ was crowned NME‘s top K-pop song of the year: “Although aespa have had a solid run throughout their career, ‘Supernova’ so accurately foretells the unbelievable creative and commercial success this year that it may well have been written in the stars. Thrilling and bold, ‘Supernova’ is a three-minute trip into a futuristic cyberpunk utopia, leaving you wanting more the second it’s over.”
The track was also deemed NME‘s ninth best song of 2024: “Bursting with a bouncy electro beat and a stellar hook, ‘Supernova’ affirms the girl group’s ability to thrive in uncharted territory.”
In a four-star review of aespa’s ‘Armageddon’, NME‘s Rhian Daly wrote: “Over the last four years, aespa’s release history has been a little checkered, with the group often sharing a record that knocks your socks off and then, on the next, losing that quality again. Happily, much of ‘Armageddon’ falls into the former camp and reinforces what we already knew – that when aespa are allowed to run free in the sounds and sonics they’ve made their trademark, they’re nothing short of exquisite.”
