Less than two years after their debut, K-pop girl group Aespa scored a Top Three hit on the Billboard 200 with their second EP, Girls. Edgier and more aggressive than most of their contemporaries, the set featured the booming riffs-and-breakbeats title track and the buzzing "Illusion," smoothing out with the dance-pop "Lingo" and the peppy "Life's Too Short." The stomping, big-bass "Black Mamba" brings the heat and rowdiness, exhausting listeners in the best way possible before the closing respite of the ballad "Forever" and the uplifting "Dreams Come True." Even though Girls is a brisk nine tracks, there's enough variety and energy to make it an engaging and irresistible listen. ~ Neil Z. Yeung