Aespa's second EP of 2023, Drama is a stomping, swaggering short-player that keeps the energy and excitement at a peak. The booming anthems "Drama" and "Trick or Trick" kick things off with an aggressive assault that eases up with the electro cuteness of "Hot Air Balloon" and the hands-in-the-air celebration "YOLO," which merges crunchy riffs with a swelling, festival-EDM build. Meanwhile, the midtempo sweetness of "You" is a throwback to the softer sounds of the 2000s K-pop wave of girl groups. Standouts include the country-twanged "Don't Blink" and the shimmering house nostalgia of "Better Things" (the bonus seventh song on the digital version), which add fresh angles to the Aespa arsenal. ~ Neil Z. Yeung