Shape of Love

On March 24, Monsta X posted the coming soon image of the eleventh EP Shape of Love on the group's official SNS. In the released black image, only the easel with a colorful heart drawing is illuminated in the dark. The release date was also announced to be on April 11.[1] However, the members of the group had tested positive for COVID-19, and as a result, their comeback was postponed until April 26.[2][3][4][5][6]

Joohoney participated in writing, composing, and arranging the tracks "Love" and "사랑한다" (Saranghanda), while Hyungwon and I.M for "Burning Up" (featuring R3hab) and "And", respectively. The three members also worked together for the song "Wildfire".[7]

The physical EP was released in four standard versions; Love,[8] Originality,[9] Vibe,[10] and Everything,[11] with the addition of a jewel case version, a KiT version, and a special version designed by Minhyuk and photos taken by Kihyun.

On April 15, Monsta X officially began their comeback promotion by releasing the schedule poster for Shape of Love through their official SNS. From April 17, the group presented four versions of concept photos: Love,[8] Originality,[9] Vibe,[10] and Everything,[11] released the music video teaser on April 24,[12] the album preview on April 25,[13] and released the EP on April 26.[14] Monsta X also held a comeback showcase on Universe to introduce Shape of Love along with its lead single on April 26.[15] Ahead of the comeback, the group already appeared on the KBS2's The King of Jujeop alongside their fan club.[16]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Clash	7/10[17]
NME	[18]

Robin Murray, writing for Clash, said that the dynamic of "the group vs the individual, outside forces vs their own unique voice – is what drives Shape of Love, a project fuelled by a quiet sense of evolution". About the tracks, Murray felt that "Love" is buoyed by "red-hot 90s hip-hop vibes, filtering boom-bap elements through an R&B lens", "Burning Up" finds "Monsta X lining up alongside R3hab, and it takes the project in a slightly more subtle, soulful, and explicitly emotional direction", "Wildfire" is "all layered vocals and potent lyricism, with I.M. having contributed extensively", "Breathe" is "a snappy, quickfire offering", while closing track "And" is "led by stadium-level guitar lines, reminiscent of Coldplay but within a definitively K-pop context".[17]

Reviewing the EP for NME, Rhian Daly billed the EP as "a record that talks about the different types of love in the world and molds the concept in the band's own way". It does not only tries to "diversify its perspectives in its storytelling, but also offers up an eclectic mix of sounds along the way". About the tracks, Daly described the title track "Love" as a song with "unconditional energy" and "addictive verse". The old-school groove of "Breathe" portrays the "physical feelings of falling head over heels, from turning red-faced to your lungs struggling to keep up with your heart". "Wildfire" explores the moment where "love roars into pain, the excitement of before engulfed in scorching agony". The fan tribute "사랑한다" (Saranghanda), meanwhile, is "emotional but offers up lightly bubbling pop with flashes of sparkling synths deployed to evoke subtle euphoria". The closing song "And" is described as a "shadowy pop-rock, melancholy guitar melodies casting a grey light over the track". Daly also commended the group's "voracious appetite" for pushing their sound forward and manages to "stitch each sound together seamlessly and smoothly".[18]

Notes

• "Love" and "And" are stylized in all caps.