Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Monsta X, Sony Music Australia, 2020.
Korean band Monsta X has been around since 2015 after being formed from participants in the Korean survival show, No Mercy.
Their first EP, Trespass, was an immediate hit and they embarked on their first US tour later the same year after which they cleaned up at the 2015 Minet Asian Music Awards, receiving the Next Gen Asian Artist award as well as the K-Performance Award at the Melon Music Awards night.
Monsta X has achieved a lot in a short period of time.
Their third album, The Clan Pt. 1 Lost, debuted at #5 on Billboard’s World Albums chart and the follow-up The Clan Pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter, topped that by debuting at #1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.
The band has spent the last four years touring and building a massive fan base and All About Luv was released on Valentine’s Day 2020 to the accolades of K-Pop fans worldwide.
Monsta X is probably the first K-Pop band to fully integrate into the world pop scene and All About Luv is their first all-English album.
On a first listen to the album there are few clues to suggest that you are listening to a Korean band.
Their brand of pop is indistinguishable from the sort of studio-produced pop that is developed anywhere in the western world.
This has clearly been an important goal – to position the band in the global market.
They’ve been successful because the singles from All About Luv have charted well around the globe and I expect the album to be their biggest seller to date.
The latest single, Middle Of The Night, is the fifth and, with the other four releases, has clocked up over 50 million streams, so they are doing something right.
K-Pop is very light and bubbly and this album, while being more straight pop, is no exception.
It’s light, good-times music and sure to be a favourite with the younger generations.