Client: Clash
At seven tracks, ‘Fantasia X’ is a distillation of Monsta X’s many parts. Light, breezy pop (‘Beautiful Night’) nestles beside sensual, bassy funk (“It Ain’t Over”), the record’s middle section reinforced by the commanding brass and EDM of ‘Chaotic’ and a thumping party track – “On the previous album there was ‘Fallin’ that makes everyone run around,” says Minhyuk, “but this time there is ‘Zone’, which I.M wrote, which makes everyone go crazy.” But for Kihyun, “it’s important that “Monbebe pay attention to the lyrics. Especially the message that ‘we don’t kneel and move forward’.”
That message is the backbone of ‘Stand Up’ – a confession of pain experienced but also a rallying cry to prevail. Beneath its bouncy, trop-house beats, is what Shownu calls a “touching song” and, as the album’s closing track, he and Minhyuk admit it reflects the band’s journey through dark places to emerge on the other side. “We can’t just sit back and cry even if it’s painful,” I.M points out, as Joohoney agrees, adding, “Whatever happens, try to stand up. If you fall, you can sit still for awhile as long as you don’t give up.”
Taylor Glasby 