Maps of Music

Armageddon (2024)

Where the lyrics of Armageddon take you, and where it was really made.

Before release, Armageddon had already passed 1.02 million pre-orders, and it reached first place on China's QQ Music digital album chart.

Place unknown

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22 April 2024: SM Entertainment announced the first studio album and its two singles
"Supernova" released 13 May; the album and "Armageddon" released 27 May
2 May: promotional schedule revealed in the "Launch Code" trailer
Eight days after the 2 May trailer: track listing revealed with a highlight medley teaser
Teasers for "Long Chat", "Licorice" and "Live My Life" released 15 to 17 May
A CDP version including a CD player was scheduled for 19 July
The album is the second phase of the group's narrative universe, centred on the idea of a multiverse
Spanish Wikipedia records it as the group's fourth album to pass one million copies, after Girls, My World and Drama

Aespa is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment.
The group is known for popularizing the metaverse concept and hyperpop music in K-pop.

Karina (leader, dancer, rapper, vocalist), Giselle (rapper, vocalist), Winter (vocalist, dancer), Ningning (vocalist, dancer).

Debuted on November 17, 2020 with the single "Black Mamba", which set the record for the most 24-hour views of a K-pop group's debut video.
"Next Level" (2021) won Song of the Year at the 19th Korean Music Awards.
The EP Savage (2021) was the highest-charting debut album by a K-pop girl group on the US Billboard 200 at number 20.
The EP Girls (2022) became the best-selling album by a K-pop girl group in history and the first to sell one million copies in its first week.
Performed at Coachella in 2022 and held the Synk: Hyper Line tour (2023) and the Synk: Parallel Line tour (2024–2025).
Released the first studio album Armageddon in 2024; "Supernova" topped the Circle Digital Chart for eleven weeks.
Released the second studio album Lemonade in 2026.

Armageddon generally received positive reviews from music critics
Rhian Daly of NME praised the album for falling "into the former camp", meaning it confirms what fans already knew about the group's sound
Jenessa Williams of The Forty-Five praised the group's willingness to experiment with both hard and soft sounds
Debashree Dutta of Rolling Stone India praised the group's vivid storytelling and the album's poetic landscapes
Jeff Benjamin of Billboard described the album as an artistic evolution in the group's discography
The Guardian gave the album a mixed review, two out of five stars, from Alexis Petridis

Petridis wrote that the album is interesting and well made, while the music may be an afterthought
Spanish Wikipedia summarises the Guardian review as doubt that the visual side overshadows the music

Sold over 1.02 million copies in pre-orders, reported on 27 May 2024
Reached number one on the QQ Music digital album sales chart in China
Certified as a double platinum album in China within 3 hours of release
Topped the iTunes album chart worldwide on its first day of release, according to Spanish Wikipedia
Reached number one on the iTunes chart in 25 countries and regions, according to Spanish Wikipedia

The album's CDP version, which includes a CD player, was scheduled for 19 July 2024.
Spanish Wikipedia notes that SM announced the Aesparty variety show as a separate project that the group would premiere.
The promotional event "aespa WEEK – Armageddon: The Mystery Circle" ran from 28 May to 9 June, announced on 20 May.
The album was first announced on 22 April 2024 with a teaser titled "Armageddon Intro" shared by the group.