Monsta X released The Connect yesterday. I know. I’m 24 hours late. I’m sorry, but I really wanted to give the album a good listen so i had a well rounded opinion. I have listened to this album while running, while driving, while doing work, and while in the shower, cause I have a waterproof speaker, like a boss, and while getting ready in the morning. Now, I feel like it is ready for a full analysis.
I do a lot of my album shopping on Music Plaza LA. Additionally, if you have never used Music Plaza before, this link will get you an extra 5% off of your first purchase!
You can also order a copy of the album from an eBay, as they typically have good prices. Plus, with eBay, you can save a little bit of money by using the E-Bates extension on your browser, as it will save you 2% on all album purchases, which definitely adds up.
What is E-Bates?
E-Bates is a cashback site that gives you money for purchases you may have already made. They even have an extension for multiple browsers so when you go to a website that uses Ebates, it will automatically pop up the cashback button to make sure you are saving money. I use this all the time, and I got over 80$ back from them for purchases I was going to make anyway. That’s about 3 more albums I can buy!
If you’ve never used EBates before, you can use this link to get $10 when making a qualified purchase of $25 when using EBates. You will also get whatever percent cashback is being offered from the site you are purchasing from. Sephora, typically has 4% cashback, through here. Sokoglam typically has 3%. These percentages Many other major retailers are on there as well.
MonstaX The Connect, Track by Track:
- Jealousy: This is the title track of the album, and I am definitely a fan of it, although I do like Dramarama better than this one. Dramarama was a little bit of a departure from their usual style of super electronic beats into a little bit more of a rock flair. I feel like this track moves away from that sound, back into their slightly clubby songand because of that I was slightly disappointed in the song. Still like the track, just not what I was hoping for from them. This did make it into my playlist
- Destroyer: This song, on the other hand I am in love with. It still has that electronic sound to it, but does have more of a rock flair to it. I personally would have chosen this track as the title song, as I like it better, but I don’t think this song will catch on as much with fans as Jealousy. I also don’t feel like this song would be a spring single as it is much less… well… positive than the previous track. I personally just like the emotional depth of the track, and how it evokes a bit more than your standard Pop song. This did make it into my playlist.
- Fallin’: Another track that I could have seen being chosen as the title track. This song is very electronic, but I think the fans would really like it, as it is very catchy and easy to follow along with (one part just repeats Na na na na na over and over again). I do like this song quite a bit too, as it really makes me want to dance. It did make it into my playlist, although I am not sure how long it will last in there.
- Crazy in Love: This song has like an R&B electronic flair to it. To be 100% honest, I’m not a fan of this song, as it feels a bit amateur to me. I dom’t think the sound is well rounded, and I really feel like the track is putting Monsta X in a box in regards to the genres they cover. What I want from them is something a bit more dynamic, and less synth heavy to really highlight the members.
- Lost in the Dream: This song starts out pretty well with just a guitar and some drums, which made me think that this song was going to be what I wanted from Monsta X, as I wanted their music to show a little bit more of a vulnerable side that we haven’t seen much of yet, but then you get to the chorus, and the overpowering synth returns. I think it ruins the sound of the song, and it sounds over produced, and changes the song from being about the artists to being more about the crazy synth. And they do have really talented vocalists who so far really haven’t gotten to showcase that because they use so much synth.
- If Only: I keep thinking that all of these tracks will be what I want from Monsta X, and then they keep adding dance elements to every single track, this one included. This track sounds like they legit just took a keyboard and had at it with all of the different sound settings. Like hey, let’s adds some fake violins into the chorus, oh, what about that super fast drum beat that you have before the beat drops as well. Yes, that’s a great idea. All for a slow tempo happy song. Dear Starship, please just show off the boys instead of your fake keyboard.
- Special: You’ll never guess that Starship made the final track of the album extremely hardcore dance, would you? Well they did it. They made every single track on the album sound like we popped out of a club; this one included. And I get it, you are a “super masculine dance group” but, you can still have a bit of a softer side, and this track doesn’t showcase it at all. Insert Grumpy Cat face for how I feel right now.
K-Points: 372/5
So, I am half and half on this album. The first few tracks I like, but when you listen to the album as a whole, and the whole thing sounds very similar, that is when I have a problem. I understand that Monsta X is a dance group, but even dance groups can have another side to them. They don’t have to have an overly processed club sound on every single song. If the first 3 tracks didn’t make it into my playlist, this album would have gotten a much lower score. Because of that, I am extremely disappointed in Starship right now. I feel like this album is a step back from the one that they produced in the fall. That was a good album. I don’t know what happened here, but it sounds amateur.
Should you buy a copy of this album? Only if you are a Monbebe, and you will support them no matter what. Personally, you should just grab the first three tracks, and not look a the rest of them, as they are not very good. I am now back to listening to The Code again.
What track off of this album do you like the most? Let me know in the comments below.
사랑합니다!
-Rachel
