Monsta X are celebrating their tenth anniversary with their first album in two years. We’ll have to attend a pair weeks to listen to the complete undertaking, however like so many others they’re teasing us with a pre-release at this time. Whereas watching their set at this yr’s KCON LA, I observed how heavy it was on their dance/membership tracks and puzzled if this meant the group could be focusing extra on that style going ahead. We’ll see what the remainder of the album brings, however Do What I Need undoubtedly lands us in the course of the dancefloor.
With this music, the fellows have fused fashionable Brazilian funk to a extra easy membership thumper. Like so many dance tracks this yr, Do What I Need hinges on a spoken refrain, leaving its slight melodic segments as ornamentation revolving round its centerpiece. This strategy is rising extra tiresome by the day and tends to make all these tracks interchangeable. They start to really feel extra like slogans than songs, however I assume a catchy, easy affirmation sounds good in short clips on TikTok.
Do What I Need commits one other cardinal sin by utterly shifting its vitality throughout verse two. This development has change into much less frequent today than earlier than, however nonetheless stymies a music’s momentum in problematic methods. This strategy is emblematic of the observe as an entire. It’s a hodgepodge of concepts, tempos and moments that doesn’t fairly forge a satisfying complete. It’s very messy and its highs aren’t excessive sufficient to compensate for the general “been there, achieved that” feeling the music elicits. I hope their title observe is extra targeted and memorable.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Manufacturing | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
Grade: C