Rising K-pop stars STAYC have returned with their 3rd mini album, ‘We Need Love’, featuring title track ‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’ — an EDM-pop track with elements of acoustic guitar sprinkled within.
‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’ possesses a melancholic feel, with the melody of the track swaying more towards being wistful, yet the accompaniment of the acoustic guitar adds a layer of cheerfulness.
The title takes itself seriously and merges the ‘beautiful’ happy side and the regretful ‘monstrous’ side, relaying the message that love is tough. “It’s like a puzzle but it’s ok.” sings J.
STAYC have conveyed their feelings of love in the past, with debut track ‘SO BAD’ expressing their yearning for being wanted and ‘RUN2U’ showing that STAYC will do anything to stay with their lover and don’t care for consequences. ‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’ is a much darker concept for the girls, with a stronger focus on the hurtful aspects of love.
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“It’s a pop dance track that likens someone who may be hurt but also healing to a ‘beautiful monster,’” Sumin said. With Sieun adding that the album is ‘connected to the idea of needing courage to get love instead of giving in.’
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“Yes, I know, yeah, you’re a BEAUTIFUL MONSTER. You hurt me and then you heal me…” belts Yoon, further propelling the idea that love is difficult, yet STAYC still think it’s beautiful and seem resistant to the idea of leaving… as if they want to continue despite the hurt and confusion.
As the song closes, we get a short acapella accompanied by J’s husky vocals, making it a strong standout. We don’t get too long to slow down as Yoon explodes into the chorus with Sieun’s high note belting in the background, giving us a strong finish.
The track is much more emotional in comparison to their previous title tracks. Musically, BEAUTIFUL MONSTER is akin to SO BAD yet carries a strange type of foreshadowed grief as they know they should and have to leave.
The music video is vibrant and the individual shots of the girls seem to portray the frustration they feel, with scenes of J worrying about a phone call and
They choose to portray both sides of ‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’, where the girls flip-flop between dancing against a sunny, bright backdrop or opting for the more moody, sunset choice. Seeun chooses a card out of a tarot lineup while singing “Frustrated, because you’re out of control”, adding to the theme of hurt she feels.
The four-track single album was partly written and composed by Black Eyed Pilseung, the innovative geniuses behind hits such as TWICE’s TT, Likey and SISTAR’s ‘Touch My Body’. ‘I Like It’, ‘Love’ and. ‘RUN2U TAK Remix’ complete the album. They are also the brains behind the creation of STAYC, debuting them in 2020.
‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’ is beautifully done and yet still very STAYC, but in the safest way. With the return of the already iconic “STAYC Girls, it’s going down”, it’s hard to not love it from the first few seconds. However, out of all title tracks, this was the least experimental one yet. They chose not to push boundaries and released a generally likeable song — one the public is guaranteed to enjoy. Nonetheless, STAYC’s consistency throughout their already thriving career means there is a lack of disappointment as ‘BEAUTIFUL MONSTER’ is still pleasant to listen to.
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