Unfold and Relax While Listening to MONSTA X's New English Album
Photo: Starship Entertainment
With the return of a majority of the members, the very well-known, hard-hitting, and talented boy group MONSTA X has released their new and highly anticipated third full-length English album, Unfold. MONSTA X’s English albums are always spectacular. Between the heart-warming ballads and upbeat pop, their albums make for an unforgettable experience. The album is home to 10 beautiful songs that each can hold a place in your heart.
Unfold Tracklist:
“heal” (title track)
“growing pains”
“baby blue”
“this!”
“before you met me”
“glass half empty”
“main attraction”
“enemies with benefits”
“on our way”
“sorry to myself”
The album starts with their beautiful ballad and title track, “heal.” A track that will bring you to tears. “heal” is something different that we haven’t really heard from MONSTA X. The members as a collective really utilize those vocal skills that they have to create a euphoric track. The ballad is slow-paced, with a groovy beat that will make you nod your head to the rhythm. Using a rocker tone, you can hear the raspiness in the members’ vocals. The background choir is an added bonus that makes this song even more emotional. The song's lyrics and meaning would also bring you to tears: it’s a song about knowing how detrimental the subjects in the song are for one another, but they can’t fathom the thought of being apart. With lyrics like, “How can we, how can we heal? When the love is what’s keeping us broken,” and, “How can we, how can we hear the truth when it’s never been spoken,” you can hear the emotion and storytelling behind every word.
The music video matches the song's beautiful aura. With very artistic scenes, like when Hyungwon is walking through the statues or when Kihyun and Minhyuk are captivated by the film in front of them, you can’t help but get mesmerized by the movie playing in front of you. “heal” is a beautiful song and is a fantastic way to start the album.
The next two songs, “growing pains” and “baby blue,” are both prereleases that were given to us before the album was released. Those two songs gave us a look at what to expect from Unfold. “growing pains” is an exciting pop track that has those strong MONSTA X vocals on full display. Full of One Direction energy when it comes to sound, “growing pains” is an uplifting song about pushing through any situation in life. It’s a beautiful song that will bring a smile to your face. “baby blue” is a retro-themed track that will have you jumping up and down as the beat carries you into another universe. It’s a song about reminiscing on the good times and on a love once had. The two make for a fun couple songs that will have you ready for the rest of the album.
The next four songs are all so unique and distinct that you will feel a different emotion with each listen. Fourth track “this!” is a groovy R&B song with smooth but forceful vocals. The bass can be felt in your chest, and you will find yourself moving to the beat. The next song, “before you met me,” is our next ballad on the album. With an acoustic sound, this is an emotional track about what life was like before they met, and asking the thought-provoking question: if they had the chance to be someone else, would they go back to being the person they were before they met? It’s a movable piece that will have you clutching at your heart. “glass half empty” is the next song on the album, and it’s an R&B/pop song about being in a relationship that is very one-sided. In the song, the members say things like, “I ain’t saying that I’m running out of love for you. But someday all this giving just might get me,” and, “Don’t know how long I can try to fill it up for you,” and you can’t help but feel the angst from the storytelling. Get ready to dance with their retro-funk track, “main attraction.” This track is a groovy song that will have you dancing your heart out as the members sing with so much excitement. It’s a fun pop track that's different from the previous tracks.
Still on a fun momentum, the next song, “enemies with benefits,” is a groovy synth-heavy track that talks about following lust no matter how many red flags are waving. The next song, “on our way,” is an R&B track with that early 2000’s sound that will have you moving along to the beat, and singing along to the lyrics. “on our way” is an addictive track and you will find yourself singing lyrics throughout the day. The final song on the album is “sorry to myself” is another R&B that utilizes the Jersey club music. Throughout the song, you can hear the electronic elements, and as you take in the lyrics, you are jamming along. It was an upbeat way to end the album, and it will have you ready to restart and listen again.
It is exciting that MONSTA X is back with an English album. They do amazing every time they release an album, and when it was announced that they were doing another, the excitement could be felt from every fan. Unfold is a great album, and everyone should check it out.