Monsta X was formed in 2015 by Starship Entertainment, through the survival show No Mercy (terrifying name btw), with seven members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Hyungwon, Joohoney, Kihyun, I.M., and Wonho, the last of which left the group in 2019 after he was involved in “controversies”. (It’s difficult to find reliable info on this, so I’m not going to pretend I know the entire story, and I don’t have time to get into it).

Here are my credentials: I actually don’t know much about Monsta X, but they’ve been on my list to cover for a while. I know a bit about the members—having covered Joohoney in my solo rankings series—but pretty surface level things. I also have a friend who’s a huge fan of them (love you, Faith!), and so I elbowed her into letting me include some of her thoughts too. Let’s get into it!

EP #1: Trespass

I confess, I was expecting your typical boy group noise music with Trespass. And there are aspects that are that, sure, like the harsh-on-the-ears instrumental at the beginning or the distortion, but there’s something about the song that feels deeper than just that. Chiefly, that build-up to the chorus, which is honestly really good, and the recurrent vocal trills in the background. It teeters on the edge of enjoyment and the opposite for me; I think I need a few more listens to make up my mind. In all, it feels like a release with a lot of potential that isn’t quite reached. With a few edges sanded and a few others sharpened, I think it could work much better.

Faith supplied, “It’s the style of the time, that American hip hop roughness of Junggigo or Mad Clown. The MV is super funny to watch…[they’re so] unserious and having fun, playing up a bad boy theme set for them.” She’s absolutely right; it’s quite frankly ridiculous, between the masks combined with the fedoras, the black and white freeze frames, and the overdone shaky cam. But it’s mostly funny. What isn’t is that they do what so many kpop MVs of the time (and unfortunately still now) do, which is take African American “aesthetics” (Joohyeon’s dreadlocks, the oversized and baggy clothes from hip-hop, etc) and separate them from their important context. I recognize that no harm is meant; it very rarely is, but it’s still very uncomfortable to watch and earns an exasperated sigh from me.

From the EP, I enjoyed the contrast between the solid beat and the creeping, smooth vocals of No Exit, the surprisingly gentle One Love, and the powerful drive of Steal Your Heart. None of the songs feel quite realized, but they’re on their way. Faith tells me the production was a bit rushed on this way, to which I replied, “Ah, Starship, back on their bullshit as usual.”

EP #2: Rush

I’m sorry, but what was the thought process for Rush? It just reads so oddly; the words make sense in isolation, but are just a jumbled mess together. I was too distracted to focus on the song itself the first time I watched the MV, between the over-the-top “crush” plot that Juyeon from WJSN was recruited for, the seizure-inducing cuts that simply refuse to happen on the beat, and the very different sets / vibes that just don’t seem to go together. I kept getting reminded of BTS’ War Of Hormone music video (when was that? like 2014?) and not in a good way. But the second time: what is that instrumental? Are the Bubble Guppies forming a biker gang? Why is any of this happening? Why is there an anti-drop. WHY—. Okay. I’m calm. It’s fine. Moving on.

“…I don’t particularly like Rush?” Faith admitted. “The MV… that was really…something. The styling, the hair, the plot was just forced. And the PD adding a member of WJSN as a love interest to disprove all those allegations that half of MX prefers men…it was a mess. Great for memes though. TONS of memes.” So, the question remains, did they disprove it? Uh. Well. No.

From the EP, I enjoyed the piano-led Broken Heart and the jazzy background and chanty hook of Amen. I didn’t realize that I’d heard Hero before until that distinctive hook came in and I got flashbacks to watching their dance video like three years ago, lol. Somewhat overly dramatic choreo and some minor musical nitpicks aside, I think it’s a much stronger song than Rush, and don’t know why it wasn’t the single instead. It was definitely my hidden gem, but this is a pretty good release all in all.

EP #3: The Clan Pt. 1 Lost

All In was the first Monsta X song I heard actually, and I’d say it’s actually a pretty good introduction to who they are as a group, which is probably why I didn’t realize it was so early on in their career. It’s not technically that different from Trespass, but the little tweaks really worked. The harshness feels right and fits with the themes, the messaging is consistent and strong, and the song manages to balance the harsher aspects with a core of emotion that isn’t often present in late 2010s boy group music like this. It’s almost…militaristic, which isn’t normally something I like, but it won me over. “I love this song so much!” Faith said, echoing my own thoughts. I can see it worming its way into my most-loved songs, especially with that music video.

And speaking of which, goddamn, that music video. Is it over -the-top? Sure. But it works. I’ll turn it over to Faith here. “All In has a complicated storyline that [Monbebes] have debated about for years”, Faith said, (SPOILERS) “Hyungwon and Minhyuk lying in the tub holding hands together, choosing death over starvation and abuse…Shownu steals money to pay for his father’s meds but his father dies anyway…[Kihyun] has a physical disability but he’s also trying to find a cure so he can walk…SO MUCH.” (Side note, by the way, if Rush was supposed to disprove queerness, apparently this song didn’t get the memo. What “girl”? Where is the girl, Joohoney?) I’m really not doing it justice, honestly, so take four minutes and just go and watch for yourself.

From the EP, I enjoyed Wheein’s feature in Ex-Girl (though it was definitely very different from All In), the guitar-driven Sweetheart, and the punchy, synthy Unfair Love, which was my hidden gem. It’s a sound I really enjoy, and not one I would’ve expected would work so well for Monsta X, but I was pleasantly surprised! Faith still listens to the album regularly—especially Stuck—and I can’t blame her, it’s pretty good. Also, I’m very sorry, but I’m American, and so whenever I hear the phrase “The Clan” I wince, because I’m imagining the one with a K. Three, in fact.

EP #4: The Clan Pt. 2 Guilty

Fighter builds on all the good that we’ve gained so far, the punchiness of Unfair Love, the drive of All In, and the strong vocals that have been consistent throughout. Its buildup may be the best yet, and its payoff is just great too, mixing between synthy and harsh in a way that really works. It’s one of those songs that just makes you want to drop everything and run a marathon (or, since it’s me, lightly jog a mile and then collapse dramatically). I did laugh a bit at the “I have to wait for the right moment…NOW” I confess, but besides that, I thought it was a really good song.

“Fighter has a special place in my heart”, Faith said, “because Monsta X filmed a part switch later on and it was the first time [Starship Entertainment] actually subbed anything in English. It was also the last time but I digress….” She noted too that it was both somewhat of a Stranger Things parody and almost a different timeline of the All In storyline, but I’ll leave that up to you. God knows I have no idea. Do watch the MV though, if only to watch Shownu dance in the water and to see the completely unnecessary shots of Wonho shirtless under an apron…cooking meth? Idk.

From the EP, I enjoyed the build-up and somewhat menacing feel of Be Quiet (could’ve done without the anti-drop), the vogue-worthy beat of Queen, and the acapella section of White Love. This is definitely my favorite so far!

Album #1: The Clan Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter

I’d been anticipating listening to Beautiful, not only because I’ve heard it included in a lot of fan-made lists of “best Monsta X songs”, but because it happens to be one of Faith’s favorites. Or, as she put it, “I will fight anyone on the street who badmouths this queen.” I wasn’t sold at the beginning; the intro is a bit too harsh for me, truth be told. But I began to change my mind when the pre-chorus started, and once the chorus took off, I was all in. This pun was specifically for my Dad. Apologies to everyone else.

But seriously, I have my gripes with this one too—like said intro and the post-chorus hook—but overall, it’s pretty good. I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to listen to it, but I’m certainly not going to skip it. I think it also shows a different side of Monsta X, melding their more serious, hard-hitting side with a more emotional side.

I also really liked the music video, and, as I’m wont to do, promptly began overanalyzing it. My current favorite theory is that it’s about the kpop industry placing its idols in boxes, made literal here, whether it’s as self-obsessed pretty faces or as only useful for their humor. Faith gave me two other theories as well: one that she’s heard, that it’s an allegory for the seven deadly sins, and one of her own, that it’s about each of the members becoming obsessed with something and it taking over their life. But while we might not agree on the specifics, we did agree on how much we loved it. “The styling, the choreography, the symbolism and sheer mutliple layers to the storyline is fantastic,” Faith said. I confess, she won me over.

I was excited to see a full album, finally; they’re becoming more and more rare, I feel. I enjoyed the bombastic opening of Oi and the confident, synthy All I Do. Overall, I wasn’t as invested in this LP as I was in the shorter ones; interesting, because it’s more often the opposite with me.

Next time, we’re onto Part 2. Tschüss!

(Part Three)