Photo credit by Starship Ent

[Review] MONSTA X – Fatal Love

The boys from MONSTA X are back with the album ‘Fatal Love’. I have been so excited for this ever since seeing the teasers, so let’s dive right in. 

Fatal Love

We start off with the title track ‘Love Killa’. This song is hella catchy and if the phrase ‘Imma slay, Imma chill, Imma kill’ isn’t going to be a catchphrase for Monbebes, I don’t know what will. The vibe of this track is immaculate. I’m also really digging the movie references in the MV, like the Joker, ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Fight Club’. 

‘Gasoline’ is up next. This mid-tempo Latin-American pop track is such a smooth listen. The bass in the chorus is *chef’s kiss*. It’s so groovy, I can’t get over it. 

‘Thriller’ starts off with some insane vocals. The tempo and rap (even from members I wasn’t expecting it from) immediately puts your attention in a chokehold and you can’t do anything else apart from listening. Kihyun’s vocals as always are excellent and Shownu really outdid himself. This is second title track material, guys. 

Next up is ‘Guess Who’. The instrumentation in this one is insane. The layering is so well done. It feels very hip-hop and I’m kind of in awe of how they made this work so well. It feels really well balanced. That bridge is fire.

We’re on track five with ‘Nobody Else’. Hyungwon is credited as co-composer and co-lyricist. The violin added in the instrumentation is absolutely lovely. It feels so dramatic and I’m here for it. 

Next up

We go ‘BEASTMODE’ with the next track. This is the track where Eric Nam has writing credits on. It’s a message for fans to stop living passively and to chase your dreams. This track is straight fire. I wasn’t expecting that softer pre-chorus to work with the heavy EDM chorus, but it totally did.

‘Stand Together’ is up next. It’s a hard hitting track with the members’ chanting. I.M’s verse really brought it together. Kihyun, I see you with those high notes. Nice! 

After that we get ‘Night View’ which is a complete shift in tone. We’re going soft hours. This soft, lo-fi pop track is absolutely lovely. The chorus is a funky synth moment. Add this to your soft MONSTA X playlists please. I can only imagine listening to this during a concert, that’d be an experience for sure.

‘Last Carnival’ starts with some beautifully haunting women’s vocals. I dig this more experimental R&B vibe. This chorus is next level y’all. This might be one of my favorites.

We’re at the last track with ‘Sorry I’m Not Sorry’. This is so soft, with some softer guitar and ugh I’m in love. Their vocals really are able to take the spotlight here. This is so lovely. There’s harmonies y’all. I’m dead.

Overall

MONSTA X really outdid themselves with ‘Fatal Love’. This is next level and really displays all of their strengths. 

You can listen to the album on Spotify here.

If you want to read our review for their previous comeback, you can find that here.

Ilse Van Den Heede
A writer with a slight coffee addiction and a tendency to find K-Indie gems in the YouTube rabbit hole.