The pre-chorus injects a bit more melody, buoyed by co-producer Yoo Young-jin’s familiar backing vocals. Opening with gritty bass, Black Mamba’s first verse feels the most familiar of all the track’s elements, down to the trap beat underlining much of the instrumental. I wish that aespa had opted for a more unique palette, but at least they pull off this style well. Take that away and Black Mamba‘s sound is typical of this K-pop generation.
Most of that is down to the vocals, which carry the kind of confident power that’s always been a hallmark of SM artists. The merging of technology and music is very SM in nature, but the teasers for debut single Black Mamba reminded me more of YG Entertainment’s BLACKPINK.įortunately, I think this track has just enough character to establish aespa as their own force. But, aespa’s avatar gimmick gives each girl a digital counterpart, presumably expanding performance capacity. Instead, aespa is a tight, four-person act, just as Red Velvet were when they first debuted in the summer of 2014. I feel like there have been rumors about a new girl group for at least four years now, with many picturing a large, SNSD-like configuration. It’s been over six years since SM Entertainment last debuted a new girl group, making aespa’s arrival long overdue.
