Maps of Music

Whiplash (2024)

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

Credits list eight different recording studios for the six tracks, and only four of them carry the SM name.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Whiplash: fifth extended play by South Korean girl group aespa
Released 21 October 2024 by SM Entertainment
Six tracks, including the lead single of the same name
The EP was released alongside the music video for the lead single "Whiplash" on 21 October

Announced 23 September 2024, four weeks before release
Promotional schedule released three days after the announcement
Track listing released on 11 October, together with a highlight medley teaser video
Music video teaser for "Whiplash" released nine days after the track listing
Before release, a live event on YouTube, TikTok and Weverse introduced the EP and connected with fans
Pop-up store "Aespa Week – #Whiplash_mood" opened in Seoul, running from 21 October to 3 November
Follows the full-length album Armagedon, released in May 2024, after about five months

Credits adapted from the EP's liner notes
Recording credited to eight studios, including SM Dorii Studio, SM Yellow Tail Studio, SM Droplet Studio, Vibe Music Studio 606, SM Wavelet Studio, Golden Bell Tree Sound, Sound Pool Studio and 77F Studio
Mixing credited to SM Blue Ocean Studio, SM Blue Cup Studio, SM Starlight Studio and SM Big Shot Studio
Mastering by 821 Sound for all tracks

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.

Debuted at number 53 on the OCC's UK Album Downloads Chart in the United Kingdom
The UK entry is measured on a download-only chart, so it reflects digital download sales only
Circle Chart first-week sales were 931,647 copies, placing the EP at number 1 on that chart
Hanteo Chart first-week sales were 913,234 copies, placing the EP at number 1 on that chart
Both first-week figures show the EP's opening performance in South Korea, counted in the days right after release
The two Korean chart results were recorded separately, so they are reported as two distinct figures
The UK chart debut and the Korean first-week results come from different markets and different counting methods
The EP was released on 21 October 2024, the same day its lead single's music video went up
The chart results above are the only sales and ranking records listed for this EP in the sources

The lead single "Whiplash" is described as an EDM-based song built on strong and fast-paced bass and house beats.
"Kill It" is described as a hip-hop dance song with a catchy synth sound, and its lyrics are described as a warning to those who send unreasonable criticism.
"Flights, Not Feelings" is described as an R&B song with a vintage yet mysterious rhythm.
The last track, "Just Another Girl", is described as a pop rock song with a rough guitar sound.
In February 2025, the Japanese idol group M!LK's song 「イイじゃん」 drew criticism as a possible copy of Whiplash, but its lyricists and composers were not involved in Whiplash.