MONSTA X – 'FANTASIA X'

Track List:

1. FANTASIA *Title

2. FLOW

3. ZONE

4. Chaotic

5. Beautiful Night

6. IT AIN’T OVER

7. Stand Up

MONSTA X has just dropped their newest one, "Fantasia X." This mini-album has 7 tracks, including the title track "Fantasia." This is their 8th EP.

"FANTASIA" is the kind of K-Pop song that I love to hear. It's energetic, aggressive, and totally fits my mood right now. If I thought I liked MONSTA X before, apparently I hadn't heard what they were capable of. This is a serious bop. "FLOW" is, simply put, a power ballad. It's got some soft elements, but the chorus has all the power and energy. I like this one a lot, mainly because it's smooth in parts, but still has that crunchy goodness that I enjoy. And that rap is awesome.

If I had to choose a title track, "ZONE" would definitely be on the list. It starts out with rapid-fire rapping, transitions into some slick vocals, and has a honking synth during the chorus. It's also hella catchy and danceable. Despite the title, "Chaotic" is anything but. It's pitched in lower tones, with a fuzzy filter set over the whole thing. Sonically, it's a stomping good time, with some ordinary pop stylings contrasting with an edgy chorus. More songs should sound like this. On "Beautiful Night" they take the energy down a couple of notches. This song seems more playful, and each of the boys seems to have a part. I like what they did with this one. It gives us some variety as well as a fun tune.

"IT AIN’T OVER" continues the trend of overall softer songs. It's different from "Beautiful Night" in that it's R&B. I didn't see too much that was unique about it, though, it seemed a little like filler. "Stand Up" was interesting because it had that kind of high-sounding inspirational vibe running through it. All the boys are singing in unison in the beginning, and there's even a flute as accompaniment. It turns into a fairly good banger after that, though.

MONSTA X really impressed me with the vocals on this release. Sometimes they went positively stratospheric. I don't know why they changed like this, but I'm glad they did. They were starting to get a little same-old'-same-old' for a while, and that dulled their edge. With this comeback, it seems they wanted to go big and go loud. And I think they achieved both goals admirably.

MV REVIEW

The boys get wild in this out of this world performance video.

Wild like in those costumes and the first half of the video. They remind me of country-western outfits, only cooler in some ways. Though that may just be the power of K-Pop.

It looks like they're in some kind of posh hotel. The backgrounds are elaborate. I wouldn't mind getting a bed there for the night. What's funny is it's the background for most of the running time, even when they're surrounded by half-naked masked backup dancers in the darkness.

We see shifts in different areas. But they're just flashes, lingering for a few seconds and then on to a different scene. A golden-lit platform, a golden tree where the boys are slumbering, golden curtains, and a clock face.

There's no real overarching narrative. I'm sure all this is supposed to be a fantasy or a dream sequence. Mostly it just seems to be a random collection of scenes.

That doesn't make it a bad thing. I love the song, and the video is more eye candy. I have to give this video an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Score

MV Relevance............8

MV Production...........9

MV Concept...............9

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....9

Album Concept..........9

Tracklisting................8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.6

OVERALL................8.6