Does AESPA fail to maintain hype because of too long hiatus?

Their music is catchy but hella recycled if you ask me.

I don't think it is particular the hiatus, i think it is their concept and their sound. The public have missed having fresh ggs sound that is not too noisy , hence why they're into the newer ggs like NewJeans, IVE, LSF and now Fifty Fifty..

nope
it not the long hiatus
the reason they lose some hype
it the stronger competition
kill AESPA hype
basically
IVE, Newjeans , Lesserafim stronger wave of 4th Gen GG than the previous 1st wave of

ITZY , G IDLE and STAYC

I think so. They kinda lost footing when other groups have been releasing hit songs while they were on hiatus.

It works for BP and is ok if the music is very good, but their 3 pre-releases is kinda meh so far.

The title track next week is all that is important, and I hope its good, but so far things don't look great.

SM is just in a mess at the moment. Look at the Kai enlistment situation. Yes they will still sell a ton of albums, but next release their growth will slow or decline.

(Debut) Black Mamba - November 17, 2020 (okay results)

(6 months) Next Level - May 17, 2021 (peak aespa hype)

(4.5 months) Savage - October 5, 2021 (only maintain the hype that already a bit down but not peaking again)

Eleven, Tomboy, Feel My Rhythm

(9 months) Girls - July 8, 2022 (kill the hype)

Hype Boy, Attention, Cookie, Pink Venom, After Like, Shut Down, Antifragile, Nxde, Ditto, OMG, Kitsch, I AM

(10 months) Spicy - May 8, 2023 (????)

compare to Blackpink release & hiatus.

(Debut) Whistle - August 8, 2016 (Huge debut hype)

Russian Roulette, TT

(3 months) Playing With Fire - November 1, 2016 (build a bigger hype)

Decalcomanie, Knock Knock

(7.5 months) As If It's Your Last - June 22, 2017 (reignite the hype to the peak)

Red Flavor, Likey, Peek-A-Boo, Heart Shaker, Bboom Bboom, Bad Boy, Starry Night, What is Love?

(1 year) Ddu-Du Ddu-Du & Forever Young - June 15, 2018 (long hiatus but back with 2 big hits, reach new peak)

Dance The Night Away, Time For The Moon Night, Power Up, Yes or Yes, Dalla Dalla

(10 months) Kill This Love - April 5, 2019 (another long hiatus, only maintain the hype that already a bit down but not peaking again)

Fancy, Hip, Psycho, Dolphin, Nonstop

(1 year 3 months) How You Like That - July 17, 2020 (build the hype again)

People mainly follow who is having a trendy song. Everything in K-pop moves really fast so who is hot the first half of the year could change the second half and this generation is still new and evolving so it's hard to tell where things will land.

My POV:

As someone who didn't pay much attention to them minus Next Level before, I find the new material (and Hold On Tight) infinitely more interesting and rather removed from K-Pop altogether. Whether by accident or design, I think they can attract a whole new breed of listener with this release but that would come down to SM actually putting in the effort to promote it.

another, more K-pop way to look at it: Aespa may end up becoming more like an f(x) (lots of intriguing production and acclaim, slightly too left-of-center for most listeners) than more mainstream groups, despite initially seeming like they were going for mass appeal.

In my opinion (and remember I'm allowed to have one) their music has fallen off in the last couple of years and for me I haven't liked a song since Next Level. I'm not as into them now.

all of this is because of SM and all the drama and trouble they had behind the scenes which led to Aespa having drawn out hiatuses. but I like their music now and am happy that LSM no longer is forcing the kwangya thing down peoples throat, which is why people were turned off from Aespa. Maybe hype is low, that doesn't bother me, I'm not one to care about who is more popular than an other in KPOP, I just enjoy what I enjoy.

It's holiday in Korea so it's not surprising.

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Who knows RV was also up and down. But unlike RV Aespa have sales/fandom on par with others.

Unless Aespa are doing significantly smaller tours than these three I don’t think SM will care enough to change anything.

Personally for me I just don’t find them interesting. Not their music not their members. And I feel Aespa is not for casual listening where someone not invested in them can like them.

I listen to NJ LFSM IVE casually without even knowing who are the members because the songs are just easy to listen to. I have never been able to do that with Aespa.