Armageddon is the first studio album by South Korean girl group Aespa. It was released by SM Entertainment on May 27, 2024, and contains ten tracks including two singles, "Supernova" and "Armageddon".
Background and release
On April 22, 2024, SM Entertainment announced that Aespa would be releasing their first studio album titled Armageddon. It was also announced that the album would feature two singles: "Supernova" and "Armageddon", with the former releasing on May 13 and the latter, along with the album, on May 27.[1] On May 2, the promotional schedule was revealed in a trailer titled "Launch Code".[2] Eight days later, the track listing was revealed alongside a highlight medley teaser video.[3] On May 12, the music video teaser for "Supernova" was released.[4] "Supernova" was released along with its music video on May 13.[5] The teaser videos for "Long Chat",[6] "Licorice",[7] and "Live My Life",[8] were released from May 15 to 17. A CDP version of Armageddon that includes a CD player will be released on July 19.[9]
Composition
Featuring ten tracks, Armageddon, is a pop effort that incorporates various genres of hip hop, dance and ballads.[10][11] The first track, "Supernova", is a "glittering cosmic" dance and hyper-pop song characterized by "heavy kick and bass", "catchy top line", and "synth melody" with lyrics about "Aespa's expanded world view by comparing the beginning of an event that opens a door to another dimension to a supernova, expressing the beginning of a big explosion".[12][13][14] The second track, "Armageddon", is a hip hop and dance song described as "old-school yet trendy track" with a "fluid R&B bridge" and lyrics containing the message that "I can only define myself".[15][16] The "thumping" tune, "Set the Tone", is a hip-hop track with "exhilarating punches of synthesizers".[12] The fourth song, "Mine", sees the group "reflecting on growing up with fear and feeling like the 'fake portrait' that was their reflection in a 'broken mirror' was 'going to swallow me up'", but ultimately "standing tall" despite their worries.[17]
The fifth track, "Licorice", is a dance song featuring "an addictive churning rock-pop hook" and "vintage electric guitar sound, and strong trap beat".[12] Lyrically, it "compares a person with a strange charm to licorice and wittily expresses the feeling of being drawn to it".[18] The "breezy" mid-tempo pop track, "Bahama", features "sleepy, swooning summer chorus" and "details taking a friend on a trip to the titular island" over "handclaps and sunkissed, sparkling melodies".[17][16] The seventh track, "Long Chat", is a dance song with lyrics "containing friendly conversations that continue throughout the night".[19] The upbeat pop song, "Prologue", finds the group "address[ing] the difficulties and messiness of growing up, admitting to anxiety, disappointments, and loss of passion".[12][17] The ninth track, "Live My Life", is a "cheerful guitar-based" pop-punk song containing a message of "living an independent life confidently" with lyrics about "breaking away from the existing framework as there is no right answer in life".[20] The closing track, "Melody", is a piano "fan anthem" dedicated to the group's fans.[12]
Rhian Daly of NME praised the album for falling "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".[17] Writing for The Forty-Five, Jenessa Williams appreciated the group's "willingness to experiment with both hard and soft [sounds]", and noted that Aespa "really thrive when they stick to the edgier end of their USP".[21] She furthermore stated that the group's "badass alchemy and attitude might just save the musical world".[21]Rolling Stone India's publisher, Debashree Dutta praised Aespa's "vivid story" and the album's "poetic landscapes" which she described as "a varied and profound auditory experience" filled with "sentiments, moods, and instances woven into each song".[22] Jeff Benjamin of Billboard described the album as "an artistic evolution in Aespa's" discography "by taking their narrative into an expansive multiverse to blur the boundaries between reality and virtual realms".[12]
However, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described it "all intriguing, and, it has to be said, very well done – Aespa's videos are charming and made to an extraordinarily high standard – yet it can't help but rouse the suspicion that their music might constitute something of an afterthought, a theory not dispelled by actually listening to it."[10]
Commercial performance
On May 27, 2024, it was reported that Armageddon has sold over 1.02 million copies in pre-orders sales.[22][23]
In China, the album reached number one on the QQ Music digital album sales chart, and was certified as "a double platinum album" within 3 hours of release.[24]
^ abKim, Myung-mi (April 22, 2024). "역대급 스케일" 에스파 첫 정규앨범 'Armageddon' 5월27일 발매[공식] [Aespa's first full-length album 'Armageddon' released on May 27th with "largest scale ever" [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Lee, Ye-joo (May 2, 2024). 에스파, '아마겟돈' 스케줄 포스터 공개...업그레이드 된 '쇠맛' [Aespa releases 'Armageddon' schedule poster...Upgraded 'taste of iron'] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Sang-geun (May 10, 2024). '컴백' 에스파 6월 서울 콘서트 전석 매진..티켓파워 입증[공식] ['Comeback' Aespa June Seoul concert sold out..Ticket power proven [Official]] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Tae-hyun (May 12, 2024). 에스파, 신곡 '슈퍼노바' MV 티저 공개...힙한 비주얼 '눈길' [Aespa releases MV teaser for new song 'Supernova'...Hip visual 'eye catching'] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ye-eun (May 13, 2024). 에스파, '슈퍼노바' 오늘(13일) 선공개...강력한 쇠맛 선사 [Aespa, pre-release of 'Supernova' today (13th)...Provides a strong iron taste] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Jun-ho (May 15, 2024). 다중우주 속 에스파...신곡 무드 엿보기 [Aespa in the multiverse...A sneak peek into the new song's mood] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Hwang, Hye-jin (May 16, 2024). 에스파, 민트초코가 괴물이라니...'Licorice' 톡 쏘는 매력 기대 [Aespa, mint chocolate is a monster...'Licorice' is expected to have a spicy charm] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Na-yul (May 17, 2024). 에스파, 'Live My Life' Universe' 트랙비디오 공개..27일 첫 정규 컴백 [Aespa releases track video for 'Live My Life' Universe'..first full-length comeback on the 27th] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ye-eun (April 22, 2024). 에스파, 세계관 시즌2 시작된다...5월 27일 첫 정규앨범 발매 [Aespa, worldview season 2 begins...First full album released on May 27th] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Hyo-jin (May 13, 2024). 에스파, '쇠파민' 폭발 예고...오늘(13일) '슈퍼노바' 선공개 [DA:투데이] [Aespa predicts explosion of 'dopamine'...'Supernova' pre-release today (13th) [DA: Today]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Yun-ji (May 20, 2024). 에스파, '슈퍼노바'로 차트 올킬..'쇠맛' 도파민 행보 [Aespa, all-kills the charts with 'Supernova'...'Iron taste' dopamine action] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024 – via Naver.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (May 16, 2024). '컴백' 에스파, 감초처럼 달콤+톡 쏘는 매력..'Licorice' ['Comeback' Aespa, sweet and tangy charm like licorice..'Licorice'] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Geum, Bit-na (May 15, 2024). '다중우주' 속 에스파, 사랑스러운 'Long Chat (#♥)'...통통 튀는 매력에 '시선집중' [Aespa in 'Multiverse', lovely 'Long Chat (#♥)'...'Focus on the plump charm'] (in Korean). MK Sports. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Tae-hyun (May 17, 2024). 에스파, 자유로운 밴드로 변신...신곡 '라이브 마이 라이프' 콘셉트 공개 [Aespa transforms into a free band...New song 'Live My Life' concept revealed] (in Korean). News1. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024 – via Naver.
^Park, Seo-hyun (May 28, 2024). "에스파, 오늘(27일) 첫 정규 출격..선주문 102만 장 돌파" [Aespa, first regular sortie today (27th)... Pre-orders exceed 1.02 million copies] (in Korean). HeraldPop. Retrieved May 29, 2024 – via Naver.
^Yoon, Ki-Baek (May 28, 2024). "에스파 '아마겟돈', 아이튠즈 美 포함 25개 지역 1위" [Aespa's 'Armageddon' ranks first in iTunes in 25 regions, including the US]. EDaily (in Korean). Retrieved May 29, 2024.
^"【APMA 2024】亚洲流行音乐大奖2024年度入围名单" [[APMA 2024] Asian Pop Music Awards 2024 Nominees] (in Chinese). December 2, 2024. Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024 – via Weibo.
^Jo Yeon-kyung (January 6, 2025). "세븐틴·에스파 영예의 대상…39회 골든디스크어워즈 성료" [Seventeen and aespa Win Grand Prizes… 39th Golden Disc Awards Completed]. JTBC News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
^Park, Seo-yeon (November 30, 2024). 에스파, 대상 3개 싹쓸이 '7관왕'...(여자)아이들, 대상 소감 중 "재계약 완료" 발표 [MMA 2024](종합) [Aespa wins 7 awards, sweeping 3 grand prizes...(G)I-DLE announces "contract renewal completed" during grand prize speech [MMA 2024] (comprehensive)] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved November 30, 2024 – via Naver.
