# Whiplash (EP)

**Whiplash** is the fifth mini album by the South Korean girl group aespa, released on October 21, 2024, by [SM Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/sm-entertainment).<sup>[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWQx2f-CErU)</sup> The six-track EP takes its name from its lead single, an EDM-driven techno song that the group described as its first venture into that genre since its 2020 debut.<sup>[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20241022/k-pop-girl-group-aespa-makes-bold-foray-into-edm-techno-sounds-with-whiplash)</sup> It arrived five months after aespa's first studio album *[Armageddon](https://www.edgepedia.org/armageddon-aespa-album)*, whose lead single "Supernova" had been one of the group's biggest hits.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and label | aespa; SM Entertainment, released October 21, 2024<sup>[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWQx2f-CErU)</sup> |
| Format | Six-track EP, about 18 minutes of music<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup> |
| Title track | "Whiplash," an EDM-based dance song with an intense, fast-paced bass and house beat; the group's first techno-style song since debut<sup>[4](https://aespa.fandom.com/wiki/Whiplash)</sup> |
| Title track credits | Written by Leslie; composed by Lewis Jankel, Marcus "MarcLo" Lomax, Neil Ormandy, and Rosina "Soaky Siren" Russell; produced by Shift K3Y and Ormandy<sup>[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eo-TAWu0oo)</sup> |
| First-week sales | 913,234 copies on South Korea's Hanteo chart, the week's best seller<sup>[6](https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/27/aespa-illit-triple-s-top-hanteo-s-weekly-album-chart)</sup> |
| Billboard 200 | Debuted at No. 50, aespa's sixth consecutive album in the chart's top 50<sup>[7](https://billboard.com.br/aespa-recordes-charts-billboard-whiplash/)</sup> |
| Later sales | 1.1 million copies reported by SM Entertainment for the fourth quarter of 2024<sup>[8](https://cdn2.smentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4Q24_ScriptENG_%EC%8B%A4%EC%A0%81_20250210_vF.pdf)</sup> |

## Release and promotion

SM Entertainment opened pre-orders for the EP on September 23, 2024, with the release set for October 21.<sup>[9](https://shop.weverse.io/ko/shop/KRW/artists/133/notices/6656)</sup> The physical editions included the BEAT and SPEED versions, each with multiple cover options, a photobook, a CD-R, postcards, a folded poster, and randomized photocards.<sup>[9](https://shop.weverse.io/ko/shop/KRW/artists/133/notices/6656)</sup> A highlight medley previewing all six tracks was published on October 10.<sup>[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODJZjOUwNA)</sup> In Japan, where Warner Music Japan handles the group's releases, the album was also issued in a Japan Exclusive Ver., an SMini Ver., and a Whiplash Limited Ver. that went on sale in Korea on October 28.<sup>[11](https://sp.wmg.jp/aespa_Whiplash/)</sup>

The music video for "Whiplash" was produced by Ethanol Production under executive production by SM Entertainment, with direction by Ethan Shin; the credited artists are Giselle, Karina, Winter, and Ningning.<sup>[12](https://www.ethanol-production.com/aespawhipash)</sup> A Korean review site recorded critics' responses to the clip, with one writer calling it "maximalism realized through a minimal mise-en-scène."

## Music and tracks

The EP moves across several genres in its six tracks. Apple Music's editorial describes the title track as an EDM-driven dance song about the group's ability to make everyone look twice, built around the hook "One look, give 'em whiplash/Beat drop with a big flash."<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup> The Korea Times summarized the remaining tracks: the hip-hop dance song "Kill It," the atmospheric R&B song "Flights, Not Feelings," the self-love anthem "Pink Hoodie," the alternative R&B track "Flowers," and the pop-rock breakup song "Just Another Girl."<sup>[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20241022/k-pop-girl-group-aespa-makes-bold-foray-into-edm-techno-sounds-with-whiplash)</sup>

1. **[Whiplash](https://www.edgepedia.org/whiplash-aespa-song)** (3:04), the EDM title track.<sup>[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-mw0004377297)</sup>
2. **Kill It** (3:20), an intentionally abrasive hip-hop dance song that Apple Music reads as both a declaration of K-pop dominance and a warning to detractors.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup>
3. **Flights, Not Feelings**, an R&B track about letting go of negative feelings; Rolling Stone Philippines called it the best song on the mini album, an R&B number with harp sprinkles and audio drop-outs.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://rollingstonephilippines.com/music/music-reviews/aespa-whiplash-review/)</sup>
4. **Pink Hoodie**, a midtempo hip-hop track about feeling comfortable in one's own skin and clothes.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup>
5. **Flowers**, a guitar-led pop track that Rolling Stone Philippines identified as the closest the album comes to a ballad, giving Giselle a spoken-word spotlight.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://rollingstonephilippines.com/music/music-reviews/aespa-whiplash-review/)</sup>
6. **Just Another Girl**, a pop-rock closer addressed to a cheating lover.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup>

No two songs on the EP share composers or lyricists. Rolling Stone Philippines noted that this is common in K-pop, where companies solicit demos from many producers and choose among them.<sup>[14](https://rollingstonephilippines.com/music/music-reviews/aespa-whiplash-review/)</sup>

## Commercial performance

The EP topped South Korea's weekly album charts. On the Circle Album Chart for the week of October 20 to 26, 2024, *Whiplash* entered at No. 4 as a new entry with 89,890 copies recorded for that week, while the title track debuted at No. 4 on the weekly digital chart with 17,895,039 points.<sup>[15](https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?hitYear=2024&nationGbn=T&targetTime=43&termGbn=week&yearTime=3)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2024/10/circle-chart-releases-chart-rankings-for-october-20-to-october-26)</sup> On the Hanteo weekly album chart, aespa placed first for week 43 of 2024, with first-week sales of 913,234 copies, well ahead of ILLIT's *[I'll Like You](https://www.edgepedia.org/ill-like-you)* at 382,621 copies in second place.<sup>[6](https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/27/aespa-illit-triple-s-top-hanteo-s-weekly-album-chart)</sup>

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard 200, aespa's sixth consecutive album to reach the top 50 after *Savage*, *Girls*, *MY WORLD*, *Drama*, and *Armageddon*.<sup>[7](https://billboard.com.br/aespa-recordes-charts-billboard-whiplash/)</sup> It rose to No. 2 on Billboard's World Albums chart and debuted at No. 9 on the Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and Independent Albums charts.<sup>[7](https://billboard.com.br/aespa-recordes-charts-billboard-whiplash/)</sup> In Japan, the EP reached No. 1 on Billboard Japan's Download Albums chart for the week of October 21 to 27, 2024, with 1,177 download sales.<sup>[17](https://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/143077/2)</sup> In the United Kingdom, it entered the Official Album Downloads Chart at No. 53 on October 31, 2024, its only week on that chart.<sup>[18](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/aespa-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album/)</sup> AllMusic reports that the EP landed in the top ten in the United States, Japan, and Croatia and topped the South Korean album chart.<sup>[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-mw0004377297)</sup>

The title track also charted on its own. SM Entertainment's third-quarter 2024 report listed "Whiplash" at No. 17 on the [Billboard Global 200](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-global-200), where it spent 24 weeks.<sup>[19](https://cdn2.smentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/3Q24_CEO-MessageENG_20241105_vF-3.pdf)</sup> The company's fourth-quarter report counted *Whiplash* at 1.1 million copies sold within key Q4 2024 releases that totaled 3.78 million copies.<sup>[8](https://cdn2.smentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4Q24_ScriptENG_%EC%8B%A4%EC%A0%81_20250210_vF.pdf)</sup> A May 2025 industry ranking of girl-group album sales placed *Whiplash* at No. 19 with 913,234 copies sold as of the report date.<sup>[20](https://www.hankyung.com/koreamarket/consensus/pdf/2025-05-6192674724fe533c5812001380966b16)</sup>

## Reception

Reviewers generally praised the EP's range. Apple Music called it aespa's most cohesive project yet and a showcase of how many different genres the four members can handle in one EP.<sup>[3](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)</sup> AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung, a reviewer of pop and K-pop releases for the site, wrote that the EP "lives up to its title" as aespa switch styles song after song, highlighting the electro-washed title track and the rock-leaning "Just Another Girl."<sup>[13](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-mw0004377297)</sup> On Album of The Year, the EP holds a critic score of 60 from one review and a user score of 69 from 1,513 ratings.<sup>[21](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1079199-aespa-whiplash.php)</sup>

The Korea Times framed the release as a deliberate creative risk, with the group presenting the EDM-based techno title track as its first such attempt since debut and as evidence of growth through constant challenges.<sup>[2](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20241022/k-pop-girl-group-aespa-makes-bold-foray-into-edm-techno-sounds-with-whiplash)</sup> Rolling Stone Philippines offered a more measured view, finding that no single song stood out as a song-of-the-year contender but judging that standard aespa remains better than most comparable releases.<sup>[14](https://rollingstonephilippines.com/music/music-reviews/aespa-whiplash-review/)</sup>

## Later history

The EP became part of what NME later described as aespa's back-to-back run of "Supernova," "Armageddon," and "Whiplash" in 2024, each a hit that elevated the group's standing.<sup>[22](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/aespa-lemonade-review-3947839)</sup> An English version of "Whiplash" was released on March 27, 2025, which SM Entertainment positioned as part of its effort to strengthen aespa's presence in Western markets; the group first performed the English version at Billboard Women in Music 2025 on March 29.<sup>[23](https://pdf.ihalla.com/sectionpdf/20250328-102914.pdf)</sup> The song was nominated for Best Dance Performance (Female Group) at the 2025 MAMA Awards, and the EP was nominated for Album of the Year there.<sup>[24](https://los40.com/2025/10/16/mama-awards-2025-lista-completa-de-nominados-a-los-premios-de-k-pop/)</sup>

## References

1. [aespa 에스파 'Whiplash' MV, SMTOWN (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWQx2f-CErU)
2. [A look into aespa's bold foray into EDM, techno sounds with 'Whiplash', The Korea Times (October 22, 2024)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/k-pop/20241022/k-pop-girl-group-aespa-makes-bold-foray-into-edm-techno-sounds-with-whiplash)
3. [Whiplash - The 5th Mini Album - EP, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-ep/1772214980)
4. [Whiplash, aespa Wiki (Fandom)](https://aespa.fandom.com/wiki/Whiplash)
5. [Whiplash (audio), aespa (YouTube, ℗ 2024 SM Entertainment)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eo-TAWu0oo)
6. [Aespa, ILLIT, TripleS top Hanteo's weekly album chart, Manila Bulletin (October 27, 2024)](https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/27/aespa-illit-triple-s-top-hanteo-s-weekly-album-chart)
7. [aespa quebra recordes nos charts da Billboard com novo disco, Billboard Brasil](https://billboard.com.br/aespa-recordes-charts-billboard-whiplash/)
8. [SM Entertainment 4Q24 Earnings Script (February 10, 2025)](https://cdn2.smentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4Q24_ScriptENG_%EC%8B%A4%EC%A0%81_20250210_vF.pdf)
9. [aespa The 5th Mini Album [Whiplash] 예약 판매 안내, Weverse Shop](https://shop.weverse.io/ko/shop/KRW/artists/133/notices/6656)
10. [aespa 에스파 'Whiplash' Highlight Medley, aespa (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODJZjOUwNA)
11. [aespa 5th Mini Album 『Whiplash』特設サイト, Warner Music Japan](https://sp.wmg.jp/aespa_Whiplash/)
12. [aespa Whiplash, a film by Ethanol Production](https://www.ethanol-production.com/aespawhipash)
13. [aespa: The Whiplash: The 5th Mini Album review by Neil Z. Yeung, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album-mw0004377297)
14. [Album Review: aespa, 'Whiplash' by Ramon De Veyra, Rolling Stone Philippines (October 29, 2024)](https://rollingstonephilippines.com/music/music-reviews/aespa-whiplash-review/)
15. [써클차트 - CIRCLE CHART, Album Chart 2024 Week 43](https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?hitYear=2024&nationGbn=T&targetTime=43&termGbn=week&yearTime=3)
16. [Circle Chart releases chart rankings for October 20 to October 26, allkpop (October 31, 2024)](https://www.allkpop.com/article/2024/10/circle-chart-releases-chart-rankings-for-october-20-to-october-26)
17. [aespa『Whiplash』がDLアルバム首位, Billboard JAPAN Daily News (October 30, 2024)](https://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/143077/2)
18. [WHIPLASH - THE 5TH MINI ALBUM – AESPA, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/aespa-whiplash-the-5th-mini-album/)
19. [SM Entertainment 3Q24 CEO Message (November 5, 2024)](https://cdn2.smentertainment.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/3Q24_CEO-MessageENG_20241105_vF-3.pdf)
20. [미디어/엔터 industry report (May 9, 2025), Hankyung Consensus](https://www.hankyung.com/koreamarket/consensus/pdf/2025-05-6192674724fe533c5812001380966b16)
21. [aespa - Whiplash (EP) Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1079199-aespa-whiplash.php)
22. [aespa – 'Lemonade' review, NME (May 29, 2026)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/aespa-lemonade-review-3947839)
23. [에스파, 히트곡 'Whiplash' 영어판 발매, iHalla PDF (March 28, 2025)](https://pdf.ihalla.com/sectionpdf/20250328-102914.pdf)
24. [MAMA Awards 2025: lista completa de nominados a los premios de K Pop, LOS40 (October 16, 2025)](https://los40.com/2025/10/16/mama-awards-2025-lista-completa-de-nominados-a-los-premios-de-k-pop/)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › EPs, mixtapes, and short-form releases › Pop, rock, and other EPs*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license