Well, somewhere between Monsta VI and Monsta VII anyway.
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Madeleine Lee: The template for a rap-focused K-pop boy band single has been around since at least Big Bang — rapped verses, sung choruses and middle eight — but Monsta X’s singles have usually tried to resist that route by giving equal weight to their vocalists and their rappers. Instead of becoming their standout quality, this just made their songs feel excessively long and disjointed (like “Rush,” which has two prechoruses for no good reason), and the relative talent gap between the rappers and the singers didn’t help. “Beautiful” sticks to the script: rapped verses, sung choruses and middle eight, angsty lyrics and thunderous electronic beats. The result is just average, but average is a success compared to noticeably bad.
[6]
Nortey Dowuona: The gleeful Auto-Tuned harmonizations glide over the 2012/2014 drums, razor thin synths and soft, pulsing bass and raspy and smooth vocals of Monsta X. Figures — vroom.
[8]
Alfred Soto: I’m not sure the rap and sung verses interact meaningfully even after several plays, not when I’d rather listen to the hook. Some will prefer Jooheon.
[6]
Jessica Doyle: Monsta X is a good example of K-pop’s shiny tendencies to work against itself: so far, for me, the group has checked off all the boxes — attractive guys, competent performances — without displaying enough personality to break through the barrier between mild interest and embarrassing shouting. (To give you personal examples of barrier-breaking media: Infinite laughing over each other’s clothes and BTS’s very intelligent mess of a dance practice.) At present all I know about Monsta X is that they did a good cover of “Mirotic” and that Wonho has a pout and ain’t afraid to use it. Now, I said personal: just because I haven’t discovered Monsta X’s collective personality doesn’t mean the group is personality-free. It takes a certain amount of effort on a potential fan’s part to seek out material that would break the barrier, and the more intriguing the music the greater the incentive. So lately I’ve been less interested in following, say, Victon, none of whose three 2017 releases were as glossy-charming as “I’m Fine,” and more in Monsta X after “Beautiful,” which does a remarkable job of moving from the speedy raps to the smoother vocals without either making the other seem out of place. So what else is this group capable of? Feel free to shower me with examples, Monbebes.
[6]
Ryo Miyauchi: Monsta X call upon an army of brass horns to express a blooming feeling bigger than they can physically contain, like they’re harnessing the power of TNGHT for a love song. Powerful as it blurts, it also blasts away some of the nuanced details. The more liquid movements of the beat suggest a tenderness underneath this tough front, though it unfortunately gets quickly decimated by the sheer loudness.
[6]
Anjy Ou: Imagine you’re the hero of a story. You’ve fought your way through monsters to get to your final foe, only to find they’re lovely and dangerous, and you’d rather turn your sword against their enemies than make them one of yours. Your instinct fights against it, but you’re already lost. I love a k-pop song with a good story, and “Beautiful”‘s lyrical narrative is reflected in its stellar production — heavy basslines, varied synths, and mid-verse drops propel you headfirst into a gorgeous chorus with layered vocals and crisp percussion. Monsta X executes this song flawlessly, and show us why they deserve to be in the spotlight. Best boyband song of the year.
[9]
Brad Shoup: The strangled synthworms of the intro came on so hard, it took me a couple spins to realize there was a similarly styled drop halfway through. Against those, the chorus gains a dramatic edge. Apart, it’s still lovely — still a wonderstruck gaze — but now it’s wrapped in plastic. Drop the overheating hi-hat and there’s probably a weightless ballad to be found.
[7]
Alex Clifton: Songs that have the word “beautiful” in the title usually tend to be acoustic, slower, or more chilled out. We get none of that in the first minute of Monsta X’s “Beautiful,” which is cluttered and borderline abrasive, only to get a chorus that could do with a bit more oomph. The melody of the chorus is quite lovely, but doesn’t feel like it fits with the rest of the song. I wish Monsta X had gone bigger, especially as there’s nothing subtle about “Hero,” their best song, but it’s still catchy as it stands.
[6]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: Starts off like a sledgehammer to the head, which is great! The only issue is that I’m left dazed in the aftermath, unable to appreciate the beauty of the chorus until it’s recontextualized after the bridge. I wouldn’t call “Beautiful” haphazardly assembled, but its parts don’t come together to form a greater whole. Each section pairs well enough with its lyrics, yes, but the producers could have further capitalized on that with a slightly different arrangement or structuring of dynamics.
[6]
Julian Baldsing: Maybe it’s the combination of the group’s name, that two-years-too-late production, and that jarring use of “errday,” but “Beautiful” sounds like it’d be better suited as an energy drink jingle over an actual single.
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