Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Reason (Monsta X EP)

Reason
EP by
Monsta X
ReleasedJanuary 9, 2023
Recorded2022
Studio
  • Ingrid Studio
  • Klang Studio
GenreK-pop
Length17:47
LanguageKorean
Label
Monsta X chronology
Shape of Love
(2022) 		Reason
(2023)
Singles from Reason
  1. "Beautiful Liar"
    Released: January 9, 2023

Reason (stylized as REASOИ) is the twelfth extended play by the South Korean boy group Monsta X. It was released by Starship Entertainment and distributed by Kakao Entertainment on January 9, 2023.

Background and release

In December 2022, Monsta X announced their comeback by releasing the coming soon image of their twelfth EP Reason through their official SNS, in an intense black image, with the release date announced on January 9, 2023.[1] It was the group's first comeback after contract renewal.[2]

Joohoney participated in writing, composing, and arranging the tracks "Crescendo" and "It's Okay", while Hyungwon and I.M for tracks "Lone Ranger" and "Deny", respectively, as well as in writing the Korean lyrics for the title track "Beautiful Liar".[3]

The physical EP was released in four standard versions, with the addition of the jewel cases version, KiT version, and cassette tape version.[4][5]

Composition

Reason depicts the story of their "reason" for building a presence through perfect teamwork. It contains the process of finding a clear reason for existence in various relationships and discovering the meaning of each other.[6] It is also a means of finding the reason for their existence, which melted the ontological reflection of group members, that with efforts to face fear and compassion during fierce times, they were able to discover the reasons behind all their emotions and find value in their relationship with fans. This conveys the message that one does not need to find reason in relationships with underlying trust.[7][8]

"Beautiful Liar" is a rhythmical and powerful punk rock-style song that sings the reason for love found in the most extreme and dangerous relationship. It has highly addictive beat and high-quality vocals and performance, providing a more intense sense of immersion.[9] "Daydream" is a song that showed the group's soft and alluring side, while "Crescendo" creates a strange charm with the sound of a mixture of the Korean traditional musical instrument geomungo and taepyeongso. "Lone Ranger", a track that has an impressive unique Western sound, "Deny" is an irresistible R&B track, and "It's Okay" is a song which describes the heart of a coward who is still haunted by a breakup, but acts like everything is alright.[8][10]

Promotion

Starting in December 2022, the group sequentially released their track list, image teasers, concept films, and four versions of concept photos. Afterwards, the music video teasers for the title song on January 5 and 6, 2023. The album preview opened on January 8, with the release of the album and full-fledged comeback activity began on January 9.[11] Monsta X showed contents related to their twelfth EP Reason, through Melon's online and offline new lighting service Melon Spotlight and original audio content service Melon Station.[12] Their comeback showcase was held to commemorate the release of their album, as well as to showcase the stage of its b-side songs, through Naver Now on January 10,[13] as well as the global K-pop rhythm game SuperStar Starship's commemorative mini-album Reason new song update release, which contains a special design with a deadly concept.[14] Starting on January 12, they opened an exhibition and pop-up store to commemorate the release of their album, which consists of an exhibition that conveys the meaning and complex emotions contained in the album, and a store where one can purchase albums and official goods, each section tailored to the four concepts of Monsta X's new album, along with special event benefits such as lucky draws.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[16]

It was one of "The Most Anticipated Albums of 2023" by the entertainment and popular culture news website Uproxx.[17] Certain prominent foreign media outlets from the United States and United Kingdom also praised and gave it favorable reviews.[18]

Abbie Aitken of Clash described it as "an accumulation of Monsta X's past eight years", with six contrasting and neatly polished tracks, each showcasing "a different genre highlighting the group's versatility". They had "never felt limited to a singular genre", instead they "evolved their presence in the worlds of R&B, pop and rock".[16]

Listicles

Name of critic or publication, name of listicle and rank
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
Paste The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023 18 [19]
Uproxx The Most Anticipated Albums of 2023 Placed[a] [17]

Commercial performance

Reason topped the Circle Chart's Retail Album Chart, for the week of January 8 to 14, with 156,265 copies sold,[20] as well as the Circle Album Chart, with 389,972 copies sold.[21][22] It also topped the Hanteo Chart's Weekly Physical Record Chart, which recorded 372,257.28 index points (album sales of 326,503 copies), as well as its Weekly World Chart,[23] then its Weekly Global Authentication Chart on the following week.[24]

In addition to its record, it entered the Melon's "Hall of Fame", which displays honorable records of domestic and foreign artists, with domestically released albums, joining the "Million Album", an album category which celebrates albums that have achieved more than one million streams within 24 hours of release, with a record of 3,869,100 total streams, being the highest of all the albums released in 2023, and had been commemorated in the "Million Album of All Time".[25]

It debuted at number 26 on Oricon's Japanese Digital Albums, for the week of January 9 to 15, with 157 downloads,[26] as well as at number 73 on Billboard Japan Hot Albums.[27]

For the other tracks, they all entered the Billboard's Hot Trending Songs Chart, for the week of January 6 to 12, with "Deny" at number 1, "Crescendo" at number 5, "Lone Ranger" at number 6, "Daydream" at number 7, and "It's Okay" at number 9.[28] The tracks also entered the Circle Digital Chart, for the week of January 8 to 14, with "Daydream" at number 117, "Lone Ranger" at number 122, "Crescendo" at number 124, "Deny" at number 126, and "It's Okay" at number 131.[29]

Track listing

Reason track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Beautiful Liar"
3:03
2."Daydream"
  • Na Yeon-seo
  • Jung Joon-ho
  • Oh Yu-won
  • Lee Seung-min
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • Terence Lam
  • Andrew Pedersen
  • Zev William Troxler
  • Cody Saintgnue
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • TEE
2:26
3."Crescendo" (춤사위)
  • Joohoney
  • I.M
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
3:05
4."Lone Ranger"
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
  • Jantine Annika Heij
  • Britt Pols
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
3:23
5."Deny"
  • I.M
  • Joohoney
  • Yoonseok
  • Wooki
  • I.M
  • Yoonseok
  • Wooki
  • I.M
  • Yoonseok
  • Wooki
2:53
6."It's Okay" (괜찮아)
  • Joohoney
  • I.M
  • Laser
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Laser
  • Ye-Yo!
  • Joohoney
  • Ye-Yo!
2:55
Total length:17:47

Charts

Certification and sales

Certification and sales for Reason
Region Certification Certified units/Sales
South Korea (KMCA)[32] Platinum 438,274[33]

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, award category and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Result Ref.
Melon Music Awards 2023 Millions Top 10 Artist Nominated [34]

Release history

Release history and formats for Reason
Region Date Format Label
South Korea January 9, 2023
Various
  • Digital download
  • streaming

See also

Notes

  1. ^ All the albums and songs listed are either unranked or just alphabetically ranked.

References

  1. ^ Lee, Yoo-na (December 12, 2022). 몬스타엑스, 내년 1월 9일 컴백...신보 'REASON' 발매 [MONSTA X, comeback on January 9 next year... new album 'REASON' release]. YTN (in Korean). Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Naver.
  2. ^ Jeong, Jin-ah (January 9, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 재계약 후 첫 컴백…미니12집 '리즌' 오늘 발매 [Monsta X, first comeback after contract renewal... 12th mini album 'Reason' released today]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved January 9, 2023 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Kwak, Hyun-soo (January 3, 2023). 몬스타엑스 신보 '리즌', 형원·주헌·아이엠 프로듀싱 참여 [MONSTA X's new album 'Reason' participated in the production of Hyungwon, Jooheon, and I.M.]. YTN (in Korean). Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Jang, Ji-yoon (December 19, 2022). 몬스타엑스, 새 앨범 '리즌' 무드 티저 공개 [Monsta X unveils mood teaser for new album 'Reason']. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Lee, Jung-hyeok (December 19, 2022). '1월 9일 컴백' 몬스타엑스, 신보 '리즌' 무드 티저 공개…위태롭고 치명적인 분위기에 궁금증↑ ['January 9 comeback' Monsta X releases mood teaser for new album 'Reason'... Curious about the dangerous and deadly atmosphere ↑]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved January 4, 2023 – via Naver.
  6. ^ Lee, Yoo-min (January 5, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 거부할 수 없는 뮤즈의 탄생 [MONSTA X, the birth of an irresistible muse]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Hwang, Hye-jin (January 10, 2023). 7년 징크스 깬 몬스타엑스, 이유 있는 1위 행진[뮤직와치] [MONSTA X broke the 7-year jinx, 1st place march for a reason [Music Watch]]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
  8. ^ a b Yadav, Monica (January 10, 2023). "MONSTA X battle dangerous relationships in 'Beautiful Liar' from new album REASON, watch music video". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Lee, Min-ji (December 24, 2022). '컴백' 몬스타엑스, 신보 'REASON' 이미지 티저…흑백 카리스마 [Comeback' Monsta X, new album 'REASON' image teaser... black and white charisma]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  10. ^ Kim, Su-jin (January 9, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 오늘(9일) 새 미니앨범 'REASON' 발매 [MONSTA X releases new mini-album 'REASON' today (9th)]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved January 9, 2023 – via Naver.
  11. ^ Jang, Ji-yoon (December 16, 2022). 몬스타엑스, 신보 '리즌' 스케줄 공개…1월 컴백 [Monsta X unveils new album 'Reason' schedule... January comeback]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  12. ^ Kim, Young-jin (January 9, 2023). '컴백' 몬스타엑스, 멜론 프로그램 출연해 비하인드 스토리 공개 ['Comeback' MONSTA X appears on Melon program and reveals behind-the-scenes story]. Asia Today (in Korean). Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Ji, Min-kyung (January 10, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 오늘(10일) 네이버 NOW. 컴백쇼 진행..수록곡 무대 최초 공개 [Monsta X, today (10th) Naver NOW. Comeback show progress..B-side song stage first release]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved January 10, 2023 – via Naver.
  14. ^ Kim, Bong-hyun (January 12, 2023). SuperStar STARSHIP, 몬스타엑스 컴백 기념 미니 앨범 'REASON' 신곡 업데이트 [SuperStar STARSHIP, MONSTA X comeback commemorative mini album 'REASON' new song update]. Games Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  15. ^ Jeong, Hee-yeon (January 17, 2023). '컴백' 몬스타엑스, 더현대 서울 팝업 스토어 오픈 ['Comeback' Monsta X opens The Hyundai Seoul pop-up store]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via Naver.
  16. ^ a b Aitken, Abbie (January 10, 2023). "Monsta X – REASON Review". Clash. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Spinelli, Adrian (January 4, 2023). "The Most Anticipated Albums of 2023". Uproxx. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  18. ^ Park, Sang-hoo (January 15, 2023). 몬스타엑스 '리즌', 美·英 주요 매체 호평 "다재다능함 입증" [MONSTA X's 'Reason', praised by major media in the US and UK "Proves versatility"]. JTBC (in Korean). Retrieved January 15, 2023 – via Naver.
  19. ^ Opie, David (December 21, 2023). "The 20 Best K-pop Albums of 2023". Paste. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  20. ^ Kim, Seong-hee (January 16, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 써클차트 3주차 리테일앨범주간차트 1위, 에스에프나인·뉴진스·NCT 드림·아스트로 문빈&산하 TOP5…최다앨범 차트진입은 세븐틴 [Monsta X, Circle Chart 3rd Week Retail Album Weekly Chart #1, SF9 New Jeans NCT Dream Astro Moonbin & affiliated TOP5... Seventeen with the most albums entering the chart]. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Week 2 of 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). January 8–14, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  22. ^ Kim, Seong-hee (January 20, 2023). [써클차트] 뉴진스·몬스타엑스·우디·베이지·윤하 1위…뉴진스 3관왕·몬스타엑스 3관왕·우디 2관왕 [[Circle Chart] New Jeans · Monsta X · Woody · Beige · Younha... New Jeans 3 crowns, Monsta X 3 crowns, Woody 2 crowns]. Top Star News (in Korean). Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  23. ^ Maeng, Seon-mi (January 16, 2023). 몬스타엑스, 한터 주간 월드ㆍ음반차트 정상…뜨거운 글로벌 인기 [Monsta X topped the Hanteo Weekly World and Music Charts... hot global popularity]. Biz Entertainment (in Korean). Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  24. ^ Lee, Eun-mi (January 25, 2023). 블랙핑크X몬스타엑스, 1월 4주 한터차트 '정상' 등극 [Blackpink X Monsta X reached the top of the Hanteo Chart in the 4th week of January]. Daily Sports Korea (in Korean). Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  25. ^ Jeong, Yoo-rim (January 27, 2023). 아티스트 명예의 기록 한눈에…'멜론의 전당' 공개 [An artist's record at a glance... 'Hall of Melon' unveiled]. Inews24 (in Korean). Retrieved January 27, 2023 – via Naver.
  26. ^ a b 週間 デジタルアルバムランキング - 2023年01月23日付. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2023/01/18 公開. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  28. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (January 18, 2023). "MONSTA X's 'Deny' Leads 'REASON' Invasion on Hot Trending Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  29. ^ "Week 2 of 2023 Digital Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). January 8–14, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  30. ^ "January 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  31. ^ "2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  32. ^ "Circle Certification - Album". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  33. ^ Cumulative sales for Reason (KiT + MC + CD):
  34. ^ MMA2023: 부문별 투표 [MMA2023: Voting by Category]. Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reason_(Monsta_X_EP)