SM Entertainment’s rookie girl group aespa is back with their first proper comeback. The quartet has released the hip-hop-influenced track “Next Level” as a follow-up to their debut track “Black Mamba.” With exciting new visuals, details, and hidden messages in lyrics, aespa once again captivates the audience with their unique concept.

The Story So Far…

On May 14, SM Entertainment surprise-released the first episode of SM Culture Universe (SMCU) titled “Ep.1 Black Mamba.” The intense 10-minute cinematic short introduced the viewers to the world of aespa, gave insight into their unique concept, and further explained the mysterious entity: the black mamba. We learned that aespa’s concept revolves around the connections built between the real and virtual worlds and the virtual avatars are created by the information uploaded online by the individual. However, the dark entity dubbed as black mamba has hacked into the virtual world, disrupting aespa’s connection with their virtual counterparts. This was previously alluded to in the music video for aespa’s debut single, “Black Mamba.” We further learned that the virtual counterparts live in a world known as the KWANGYA, which roughly translates to “the wilderness.” The video ends with aespa venturing out into the KWANGYA to stop black mamba from causing further damage—leading to the new single, “Next Level.” Check out the first episode of SMCU below! 

“Next Level”

“Next Level” is a hip-hop track with a very unique arrangement featuring a completely different refrain and interlude from the rest of the song. It contains the signature SM flavor that has been heard on tracks like “Tempo” by EXO, “Zimzalabim” by Red Velvet, and many more. The song also incorporates elements of the 2019 track by the same name from the movie Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’s soundtrack. Hitmaker Yoo Youngjin helped craft the song, adding elements of R&B and allowing members to showcase their vocal and rap talents. The music video is a visual treat with members donning gorgeous outfits, makeup, and hairstyles. With the music video portraying their journey to KWANGYA, the set designs feature spacecrafts, alien landscapes, and many sci-fi props. 

While the SMCU episode answered many questions about aespa’s concept and explained the meanings behind terms like KWANGYA, SYNK, Naevis, FLAT, and more, the lyrics to the new track introduced new terms and phrases, further intriguing listeners with their concept. SMCU is speculated to incorporate other artists, with the term KWANGYA already appearing in the lyrics of NCT U’s “90’s Love” and aespa’s logo appearing in SuperM’s music video for “One (Infinity + Monster).”

aespa’s new song takes the group to the next level quite literally and their company into an exciting new chapter. aespa is quickly establishing themselves as monster rookies all the while finding their sound and style. Watch the stunning music video for “Next Level” below!