Review

Song Review: Monsta X – Love Killa

Posted on by 63 Comments

Monsta X have returned with their fourth full Korean album Fatal Love (though their minis often have enough tracks to count as “full” under other agencies’ qualifications). And, the album feels like a bit of a progression for the group, leaning closer in sound to their English-language work. Whether that’s a positive thing or not depends on your taste, but the best I can say about Love Killa is that it doesn’t sound exactly like what I expect from a Monsta X title.

I can definitely get behind the thumping electro bass that powers much of Love Killa. It has a slinky, slightly threatening appeal that draws out a more nuanced performance from the group. Their albums are often more diverse than their singles suggest, and that quality is capitalized upon here. However, the track lacks a strong hook. There are plenty of memorable asides sprinkled throughout the song, but the chorus itself feels like a charismatic series of one-liners rather than an exciting refrain. I don’t think a song like this needs a huge pop chorus, but it does require an engaging centerpiece. What we get is fine, but pretty unremarkable.

My main gripe with Love Killa mirrors my thoughts about many Monsta X tracks. It’s just got too many moments of posturing cheesiness. Yet, the whole thing is trussed up to be ‘super serious badass’ rather than capitalizing on its inherent camp. There’s got to be more creative ways to puff up your chest than proclaiming “Imma slay.” It’s just kind of obvious, isn’t it? If you’re really going to slay, should you even have to say it?

 Hooks 7
 Production 8
 Longevity 8
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.5

63 thoughts on “Song Review: Monsta X – Love Killa”

  1. Imma Slay, Imma Kill, Pull the Trigger, Take a Shot. I rolled my eyes when I listened to this.

    As for the song, I guess it’s average. But I appreciate the less agressive style of this song, I complained about the Monsta X formula being predictible and becoming boring for their last comeback so I have to point it out. Still not my style though.

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    • This is literally one of the best songs I have heard all year. What I find funny is that I hated blue hour by TXT but it got such a high rating. The songs I actually like get the lowest ratings. Like how does Twice’s song get a better rating. One of the lyrics was literally risky wisky this is an emergency ! This blog writer and I have very different tastes.

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        • yeah I guess that is true. I keep coming to check your rating and every time I am let down. Songs that most people like you hate. I think maybe your style is more of dynamite or txt blue hour. So monsta x does not fit your taste because their songs aren’t exactly what you would like which is okay. I just need to accept that and not visit your website to check the ratings.

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          • You’re free to do as you please, of course, but there is real value in reading/listening to opinions different than your own. One of my favorite K-pop podcasts disagrees with me on 99.9% of songs (it’s uncanny how different our taste is, actually), yet that’s one of the reasons I enjoy listening to it. Sometimes I learn new things about songs I’d dismissed, or vice versa.

            I do take issue with your “most people like” statement, though. As far as I know, there is no accurate way to gauge what most people like when it comes to K-pop singles. If there is, I’d like to know where to find it!

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            • Okay so I only listened to twice’s new single after reading your post. What I am trying to say that your reviews do help people find new songs. I had read your post in detail and then listened to it again and I thought it wasn’t as bad as the first time I listened to it. I still didn’t like it as much as some of their twices b-sides. I was simply hoping your review of would be positive. But I understand music is subjective and you don’t have to like the songs I like.

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              • I think that’s the best attitude that anyone could come into a review with.

                Any review is just an opinion, after all. The good ones put some effort into backing that opinion up, and those are the ones I tend to enjoy reading.

                Sometimes, I think that K-pop fans (not you specifically) can sometimes get caught up in a fandom-driven world full of bias-confirming media like youtube reaction videos. Those certainly have their place, but The Bias List was never designed to be “all praise all the time.” If it was, I’d only write about songs I loved (which would honestly get pretty boring).

                But, I’ve always made a point not to bash the individual artists on a personal level and I try to find positives even when I don’t really like a song. And when giving a low rating, I try my hardest to give my reasoning rather than just calling it horrible or trash or whatever.

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            • Hi Nick! Well I appreciate your stance in music. I’ve been a lurker since early 2019. I’ve seen almost every review on this site and every opinion you have. We actually have 70% similarity. Although I would disagree to some extent. But recently, I have compiled a system wherein us, music critics can be merged and create 1 score, similar to Metacritic. I called it the TrackScore, it features you, KPOPREVIEWED, 108MUSIC, and KBOPPED, also IZM. So that maybe of use to you. deforested.wordpress.com is the site link! Thanks. Also check out my blog!

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        • It amazes me how you loved the most generic song ever Open mind but can’t like this song. Just say you hate monsta x and go. Wonho debuted with the most pathethic song ever, a left over of monsta x’s bsides and it wasn’t even memorable and you praised him for that but monsta x come out with a banger and you throw a fit. A feeling is telling me that you wouldn’t have like open mind if it was from monsta x instead of wonho.

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          • Oh My Gosh , shut up you literal child.

            Is it just me or are these people weird as hell.

            Nick has praised Monsta x So many times for the music they have done , he always gives them good reviews and compliments and only for at least 3 times he pulled out that he didn’t like one particular Monsta x song , people will go “Just say you hate them and go” I happened with BTS , NCT , Seventeen….

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    • Honestly, I don’t think anyone can pull of saying ‘Imma slay’ completely unironically. It makes for a great unintentionally hilarious lyric.

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    • When your fav does the concept of murders, then I will comeback and say they copied monsta x. Love killa had a great concept. The had killers from different movies and the song was soo cool. Everyone hated Fantasia and now when they don’t hard beats like Fantasia people say it’s boring ! Make up your minds people.

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      • Holy sh*t you need to calm down and understand that not everybody will share the same sentiments for the songs you might like and vice versa. Music is subjective at the end of the day.

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      • You know instead of wanting “hard beats” (It’s clear you are no music critic because you are those people who call the production , Hard and Soft beats or whatever) We want an actual melody…..

        Like Seriously , people like you are the people which I exactly despise , Music is not simple “hard beat” “Soft Beat” , There are genres everywhere. Electro Pop , Synth Wave , Trap , You can use Guitar as an instrumental!

        You can like Rap or Melody. That is what is so cool about Music , I Love the genre used here but there is no melody.

        Also , This is a Music Industry , why do people have the need to Judge a song based on the concept , sure imagery elevates the song but the real thing is still about the…..Music.

        And In the end , please offer a great reason why you are exposing negativity in this site on to another person instead of being a 5 year old like , seriously , Anyone , did you hear what this guy said in his first line….

        “When your fav does the concept of murders, then I will comeback and say they copied monsta x”

        DID YOU HEAR THIS , PEOPLE?

        This is literally so Childish…

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  3. i love monsta x as a group so i’m probably biased, but yeah definitely agree that the chorus was underwhelming, and the rap has way too much cringey english (as usual). after listening to the album, thriller would’ve been a much better title track imo!!

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  4. Too tame, Monsta X usually pull of sleek and minimalist sounds well but this track just didn’t have the hook to back it all up. Also the second verse rap is TRASH. Now don’t get me wrong, unlike other groups this rap sequence fits neatly in the song. But it’s so underwhelming compared to their energetic rap in Shoot Out, Follow, Alligator, Dramarama…

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  5. I normally don’t like dirty bass sounds, but this one has grown on me. I like the song & give it an 8, but I agree that some of the rap lines this time are pretty over the top. I love that Hyungwon has chorus lines, & his part has a slinky feeling that suits the song really well. There’s almost a big moment at the end of the bridge, but it’s not quite there. I wish that Kihyun sang the beginning of the bridge and Shownu or Minhyuk sang the last chorus so that Kihyun could just ad lib. I always hope that their title tracks will be similar to Jealousy & let Kihyun really show off throughout the song, not just in one high note towards the end. The choreo looks great, & I’m excited to listen to the rest of the album!

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    • I listened to thilla kill and I didn’t like it at all. Crazy sexy cool ! wow they have great lyrics. Love killa is better in my opinion, I won’t shit on your fav song but they used too much autotune which annoyed the shit out of me.

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  9. no it is just that Monsta x is being sh*t on all the time. Sure music is subjective but why do Monsta x always get bad reviews ? Fatal Love is grown, sexy and confident. Musically it’s some of their best work. I don’t understand the hate that is all.

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  11. I am heavily biased but I love Monsta X’s whole album and while I think there were better songs than Love Killa, I still really like the song. Is this their best title track? No, but that’s okay cuz people have different tastes. I really dislike Twices I can’t stop me but I loved more & more, which lots of people disliked. So music is all based on personal preference. I may not agree with Nick, but I respect his opinion! Besides, his blog is literally called the bias list so it’s gonna be biased.

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  12. Honestly if there wasn’t a repeated Hyungwon “Love Killa” I wouldn’t even bother putting this song in my playlist, and I have every single MX title track(even Shine Forever) on there. The song just feels very underwhelming knowing that Kihyun is such a talented vocalist and his skills are going to waste on a mess of this chorus.

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    • I understand completely, but is there any chnace you could check out some of the b-sides. They are good I promise (good in my opinion – this is the bias list)

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  13. this is the second monsta x title track added to my music library since beautiful. every title track since then has turned me away with either loud (and annoying) drops, repetitive shouting of the title track name, or rap section that ruined the song. shoot out chorus was so nice, but urgh the rest of the song was just not it.

    that being said, this song is just… meh. they can do “sexy but dangerous” so much better than this. i don’t appreciate the attempt at ear worm with the “beautiful love killa” bit, it wasn’t catchy at all. the song (chorus especially) makes me feel like the vocal line was fighting with the background track.

    but the album! the album is good, very cohesive, and most of the songs are quite pleasing to listen to (my favourite is guess who). wondering if nick will find any burried treasure?

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  14. This song and the concept has a lot of potential but it’s wasted on a very basic chorus and all the english narrating tbh. Shownu/Minhyuk’s part is my fav. There should’ve been a Jealousy-like chorus and it would’ve been better.

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    • Oh man, Jealousy was the height of their career (for me, of course). What a chorus! I’ve been missing that in all their other songs.

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  15. oh my god 😂 die-hard monbebe here and i’m sorry but this comment section made me laugh my ass off. im glad that monsta x could spark so much discussion LOL 😂 anyway, i agree that this title track is just ok (ftr i LOVED fantasia and i love every single title track except like, one or two) and when i did my track ranking, it only become more apparent since love killa turned out dead last compared to all these genuinely incredible bsides. obv music taste is subjective but im just a bit disappointed there’s no buried treasure for you from this album because i absolutely think it’s monsta x’s best, they seriously outdid themselves with this one and blew me away completely. guess who immediately became my new favorite monsta x song and likely my favorite release of the year, period. all the bsides are unfairly good, ive had them on loop since release. i agree with the comment that thriller should have been the title track, i was thinking that same exact thing 😛 anyway, glad we’re all having a good time here! LMAO

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      • yeah it doesn’t have nearly enough energy for me which is a ridiculous thing to say about a MONSTA X SONG but here we are hahaha. but somehow despite the title track let down this is still probably my new favorite monsta x album because oh my God those bsides. Wow. all the new fans this album is singlehandedly bringing in is proof of its quality imo

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    • omg i totally agree! i think this is one of their best albums in terms of the other tracks. ironically love killa is prob one of my least favorite songs on the album unfortunately. guess who is amazing im in love with it! also night view, nobody else, gasoline, the list goes on for my fav b side tracks.

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      • SAME SAME love killa is dead last! i feel bad saying but i feel less bad knowing ALL of the nine other songs are INCREDIBLE. honestly i speculate they went with the slightly boring song to try and gain new fans/appeal to the gp.. who knows. you’re spot on about guess who though, that song is unforgettable, “obsessed” is an understatement

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  16. Truth be told, i don’t know if your judgement in these songs can be justified on a scale. You don’t make a blog to make side comments and not fact. How long have you been following monsta x please?. They make their videos based on the concept of their name, if the music video is ‘badass’, I’m so sorry bruh,but that’s what their name entails. You bringing up the wording of their songs is just so wrong on a biased level. Do you read the wording of all the songs you like and listen to? I’m not sure, because if you do. You will be enlightened.

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    • I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to say, but I have been following Monsta X since pre-debut with their series No Mercy.

      I totally get the vibe and concept they’re going for here. I just don’t think the actual song is all that strong. Just my opinion, though.

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      • Ok well, you have followed their tracks since pre-debut and still felt they would remain the same and not evolve in their sense of music concept?
        Let me quote you right, you said ‘just my opinion’ but after reading everything you wrote i don’t see how you made a contribution to all the faults you picked out. I’m still very offended that you picked out a particular line of the lyricsto back your analogy which in all sense doesn’t in any way correspond to the matter at hand. I’m slay is a lyrics in the song! You should know this ,they didn’t ask you to interpret it to implie, that they were referring to them self. And please next time if you are making a statement next time on your blog, don’t mention the lyrics. It’s clear you don’t read them

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  17. Welll….the moment I heard the main dish line I added it to my playlist. I feel like this song tries to be badass and ends up sounding badass but for me the rap lines ‘Imma slay, Imma chill, Imma kill’, alongside the boldness of ‘main dish’, make me wonder if I’m ever going to take the song seriously.

    I think I added this song to my playlist because it was..interesting in terms of the lyrics and the concept they were trying to achieve, rather than because of its quality. The instrumental layer underneath Love Killa’s chorus (I don’t have enough expertise to actually describe it) is sort of making the actual song grow on me, as well as some of the vocal parts.

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  18. As a monbebe, I can’t say I’m not disappointed. All the title tracks since Alligator just feel so stale. And when there’s no breakthrough in concept, the fact that their song quality have been consistently going downhill every comeback makes it more disappointing

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    • Have you heard the b-sides I think they are actually good this time. I liked Gasoline, night view, Thriller and Guess who. The title track may not be for you but the b-sides could be more suited to your taste ? Anyway it is your call.

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  19. even later on my thoughts on this song but honestly this is the first Monsta X song that I actually liked less than your review for.

    When I was listening to it again today I realized that it really reminds me a lot of the 2020, more minimalist, less bombastic version of Fighter, except in this case, I think that for the posturing to work you have to have the bombastic sound to back it up. I recognize that you weren’t a fan of a lot of their noisier hard-hitting music but honestly that’s the sound that I tend to associate with them and what I listened to them for. I’m not really a fan of this new, more minimalistic, taking itself too seriously angle that they’ve been going for, first with their English releases and now with this song.

    Also gosh dang but…. the English lyrics on this were sure something. I generally enjoy their silly English lyrics (excuse me, I’m walking like zombie actually is like my favorite Kpop English line ever) but something bothers me so much about IM rhyming dish with cliche by just dropping the last syllable to the point that it takes me out of my enjoyment of the song completely when I get to that part (which is a shame because usually the IM verses are my favorite part of their songs).

    I don’t know, I didn’t like Shoot Out all that much at first (I felt like the chorus dragged the song down from its energy a fair bit) but it’s definitely grown on me and I listen to it fairly often now. Maybe the same will happen here. Either way, I’m kind of disappointed after Follow and Fantasia – I was hoping for more of the big melodic synth sound on top of the posturing and bombast.

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  20. Hi could you do a hidden treasures of Fatal love by Monsta x. I really liked the album this time compared to the Fantasia mini album 🙂 Please and thank you.

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