User:ReVeluv02/sandbox/Girls (Aespa EP)

Girls is the upcoming second extended play by South Korean girl group Aespa. The EP will be released by SM Entertainment and Warner Records on July 8, 2022.

Background and release
On May 31, 2022, Aespa posted a teaser titled "aespa. The 2nd mini album. Girls", on the group's various social media accounts, marking the release of their upcoming extended play (EP). The teaser comprises a short video showing a "panorama of a digital mountain range" and a "burst of synth-heavy music". It was then announced that the group would release its second EP, Girls, on July 8. The upcoming nine-track release will be the group's first album after their October 2021 EP release, Savage, and the first release after the "Dreams Come True" (2021) remake. It will be simultaneously released in South Korea and the United States after SM Entertainment signed a global partnership with Warner Records for music content distribution and marketing promotions. In an interview with Billboard, Giselle reiterated that the group would be back in the U.S. for their following album promotions. The pre-sales for the EP on different online and physical record stores began on June 2.

Aespa was selected as the June artist of Apple Music's Up Next, a global campaign that designates the most anticipated artists of the month for new artists worldwide. Alongside Girls, the group will also release a feature short film for Up Next. They released "Illusion" as a pre-release song for the promotions through various music streaming services on June 1, 2022, at 1:00 PM KST (UTC+09:00). The group is also set to release an English-language single, "Life's Too Short", on June 24. Previously, they performed the song at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.