Time to catch up on the backlog of albums that I should have reviewed over the last few weeks. First one up is Monsta X’s The Code, which is their latest release. Their title track, Dramarama, has earned them their first win on a weekly music show a few days ago. On with the review.

1..Dramarama (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Dramarama (8.5/10)

2. Now or Never – Now or Never seems to be that track that fits nicely within typical song lineup that Monsta X usually puts out. It has that toughness and intensity that you would associate with the group. It is a pretty standard track for the most part but there were moments when I thought the track was ‘lit’. The bridge added a nice touch to the song as well. (8/10)

3. In Time – In Time is that compulsory ballad that I keep on mentioning. Mixed nicely with it, however, is some RnB, which makes the song feel a lot more emotional. The chimes were somewhat creepy at the start, but they felt like the perfect ending. Overall though, the track does seem like it can easily be forgotten. (7/10)

4. From Zero – The track taps into that tropical house genre that we see in every other release in KPOP at the moment. I love the contrast between the minimal verses to the upbeat chorus, which makes it extremely addictive to listen to. The drop is awesome and I think it is because of that minimal verse that makes the drop sound so much cooler than what it would have been if the verses were not stripped down. (9/10)

5. X – The hidden gem on this entire mini-album. X is everything you would want in a song. Everything felt perfect in the song. From the intensity to the vocals/raps, everything came together to form one damn good head-banging track. I would love to see this performed as the energy that comes off it is something you should not mess around with (10/10)

6. Tropical Night (열대야) – What I love about this song is that chorus. It doesn’t go in that direction that you expect to go from the verse. But it works and it sounds so much cooler than what I had intended. I.M and Jooheon deliver smashing rap sequences that felt just right for such a cool song. (9/10)

7. Deja Vu – Not part of my usual vocabulary, but the best to encapsulate the song is by saying ‘badass’. The chorus was jaw-dropping and like in the past few songs, the rappers were the main highlight. But that doesn’t say that the vocalists didn’t shine as well. Another stand-out track to end the album. Woo! (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10