MONSTA X are so back! The 3rd Gen powerhouse has returned with their latest album, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. With Unfold, MONSTA X break the record for most English-language albums (three) by a K-Pop group ever. And that’s not even closest to the most exciting thing about this album…
Unfold
After REASON back in January 2023, MONBEBE suffered through a very long MX drought. Recently though, we’ve been fed! Last Fall we got THE X, their first six-member comeback in over two years, and now we have Unfold.
Unfold, as we had started to decipher thanks to the aesthetic of this era, is all about reflecting and soothing. In fact, more specifically, the album can be divided into three cinematic acts: the break-up, the fallout, and the healing. Across the ten tracks, MONSTA X switch genres, tone, and concept more times than we can count. Everything about this album points to one thing: MONSTA X have a unique understanding of the global music industry, and they know how to maximise their skills to make it work for them.
‘heal’
Ok, who else started bawling when they heard I.M’s voice open ‘heal?’ Because we sure did! MONSTA X’s maknae, Changkyun, is currently serving his mandatory military enlistment, so he isn’t around for promo or performances, but we are absolutely over the moon that he’s still on the album (although we had a feeling he would be after seeing the concept photos). MONBEBE (and MX) have been dealing with various member enlistments since July 2021, so not only is it amazing that MONSTA X are still giving us music in the meantime, but it also means Unfold might be the last album before all of that is finally over!
Other than that, we obviously have to talk about how dreamy ‘heal’ is. As a title track, ‘heal’ does the perfect job of encapsulating the message of Unfold. It has the grand scale that we know and love from K-Pop, but it hits in a totally different way on this ballad. We can’t wait to see how this is received by global audiences! Better known for their epic rapline (Joohoney and I.M, we love you so much), we love that MONSTA X threw a bit of a curveball with a vocal focus for the Unfold title track.
Unfold‘s B-Sides
As beautiful as ‘heal’ is, the b-sides are where MONSTA X really shine. Obviously, some of the b-sides weren’t completely new to us – we’ve been obsessed with ‘baby blue’ and ‘growing pains’ for a while now – but seeing those two songs take their rightful place in a full album pleased us to no end.
The variety of genres across these tracks is a great reminder of exactly what drew us to MONSTA X all that time ago. And we can totally see them gaining a whole load of baby MONBEBEs off the back of Unfold, too. If you like country, then try ‘growing pains.’ Love a ballad? ‘before you met me’ is for you. A bit of synth-pop more your speed? Then check out ‘enemies with benefits.’ We weren’t kidding when we said that there’s something for everyone!
What’s Next?
Or should we say, “What’s Nexus?” At the moment, MONSTA X are in the thick of their U.S. promotions for Unfold, but soon they’ll head to Jakarta to finish the Asia leg of The X : Nexus World Tour! Then it will be Latin America’s turn and, excitingly, alongside the release of Unfold, MONSTA X have just announced the North American leg of The X : Nexus World Tour, which will be hitting stages stateside in October.
What’s your fave track on MONSTA X’s Unfold? Are you gonna try to score tour tickets? Come chat with us on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP, on Facebook, or on Instagram!
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