[theqoo] IZM'S APPRAISAL FOR AESPA'S RICH MAN

Just like the saying "no eternal powerhouse," they're in a slump compared to last year. For aespa, who dominated 2024 with 'Supernova' and 'Armageddon' in the first half and 'Whiplash' in the second half, 2025 is not so easy for them. Even if 'Dirty work' is considered maintaining their status quo, < Rich Man > shows a significant decline in momentum, even setting aside external controversies like lip-syncing. This problem is evident not just in the charts and numbers, but also in the music itself.

Watching a video comparing it to the original Kanner version, the dominant opinion is that it's 'too weak.' The reduction in other distortions might have been an unavoidable arrangement to bring out the members' vocal colors, but filling that void with excessive repetition of the catchphrase 'I'm a rich man' was unnecessary. Even considering it the 'key' phrase of the song, the too frequent appearance turns their independent female image, inspired by singer Cher's remarks in the intro, into a mere advertising slogan. With the loosely handled first chorus with 'lalalala,' the song becomes a mere shell filled with blind self-praise, lacking substance.

One might wonder if the reserved firepower was passed on to the successors songs, but looking at the rest, such traces are hard to find. What remains in place of the vanished dichotomous mood composition of Kwangya/reality, which began with < Drama >, is just an empty fuel tank. Between 'Drift,' which quietly slides by unlike its title, and 'To the girls,' which is no different from a conventional fan song in conveying an empowering message, the efforts of 'Count on me' to be a sequel to < Savage >'s 'Achromatic Dream' and 'Angel #48' to inherit the low-stimulation pop of 'Better things' are pitiful.

Everyone knows it's hard to satisfy a raised threshold. It would have been better if there were even a proper excuse. The music video featuring monster trucks and the rockstar concept adorned with electric guitars and picks even takes away any room to see it as an intentional attempt to betray expectations for a 'strong' aespa. A lazy album that was neither a deliberate detour nor a timely sabbatical. By a hair's breadth, confidence became arrogance.

original post: here

1. Whiplash was honestly a godly song

2. They started to disappoint after Whiplash

3. The repetition in Rich Man is indeed boring

4. Did aespa swap their A&R team?

5. Rich Man's 'key' part in the songs are seriously the worst parts... Please listen to your own songs before coming out next time ㅠㅠ

6. I don't understand what was the point of repeating "I am a rich man" so many times, but after listening to the demo, I can understand why they resorted to doing this. What's the point of changing lyrics then? ㅋㅋ

7. The song fell flat and the dance fell flat too

8. It's the first time I've gotten tired of Winter's voice

9. Everything they released after Whiplash were so weird

10. I acknowledge Angel48

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