New albums by Violet Grohl and Aespa reviewed

Daily Star's music guru dismisses nepo baby accusations reviewing Violet Grohl's debut and can hear a brand new era for k-pop thanks to aespa's latest

15:07, 02 Jun 2026

Violet Grohl steps out of her dad's shadow(Image: Instagram)

Cant be easy growing up in the shadow of a famous rock star, but Violet Grohl can riff just as hard as daddy Dave while also offering something more subtle vocally on debut LP, Be Sweet To Me.

Closer in spirit to Queens Of The Stone Age, Violet teams with Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, to deliver big gothic hooks punctuated with a late 80s indie bent.

"Suck my thumb of citric acetone, she hollers during the dark and subversive THUM, then scorches the senses on 595 and Bug In The Cake with its driving motorik groove.

More curious are the quieter approaches when you get to hear the Cocteau Twins dream pop influence on Last Day I Loved You and Applefish whereas the ethereal Mobile Star floats in an atmosphere reminiscent of David Lynch's finest soundtracks.

Sweeter than anything daddys done, this is one nepo baby who needs no mollycoddling.

DAILY STAR Rating ***

Blackpink may dominate all the K-pop headlines but Aespa have quietly been breaking new ground for the genre with a way more aggressive electronic vibe.

Lemonade takes things a step further, the girls delving deeper into hip hop on WDA (Whole Different Animal) which pats themselves on the back for their aforementioned evolution, while My Plan bamboozles the senses as swings wildly between R&B nostalgia and Korean theatrical soundtracks.

Turning adversity into opportunity, the title track is a techno throwback but with bonus 21st century vocal sass even if the, "I aint got no ETA doesn't make much sense!

It's a unique sound, especially when they embrace more asian flavours, like on Shakin albeit mashed up with a heavy electrionica.

Lemonade squeezes every last drop of energy out of the K-pop machine.

DAILY STAR Rating ***

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