It has been over two years since we last heard from MONSTA X as a group through their 2023 release of Beautiful Liar, the title track from their 12th mini-album REASON. Since then, the group has been on hiatus due to military enlistments, while those who finished their enlistment (Shownu) and those who had not enlisted yet (I.M) focused on solo activities. Now that all members are available, they will be celebrating their 10th anniversary as a group with the release of their 13th mini-album THE X on 1 September 2023. In anticipation of the album release, MONSTA X has dropped the single Do What I Want.

The new single is quite different to what I remember of MONSTA X pre-2023. While the track does sit within the hip-hop realm, like most of their past title tracks, Do What I Want distinctively draws upon Brazilian funk, which is very unique and different for the group, but also KPOP in general. And the final result is definitely something fun, energetic and lively. There is also a club beat in Do What I Want, which I appreciate for keeping the single grounded and giving it some bite. But at the same time, it is quite generic and so does zap some of the fun and energy from those livelier and funkier moments. Do What I Want also lacks a strong hook. The song’s spoken hook in the song’s centre does have a catchiness to it, but it felt underbaked and does not necessarily reflect the song’s energy. It does create some contrast (i.e., between the low and high tones), but it wasn’t enough to be the song’s main selling point. The group’s delivery (i.e., rap and vocals) is sound, but without that strong hook, I don’t really remember much of the delivery. Overall, Do What I Want is refreshing and different, but I miss the old MONSTA X edgy hip-hop dance sound that we heard previously from the group.

I do appreciate the group doing something utterly different music-wise. And to match the completely different music, the group has gone for a very wild and chaotic visual to accompany the new song. The members are horned and sharp-eared creatures in the music video, which is very unusual. I am not entirely sure what these horns represent, but it’s possible they’re connected to the upcoming music video for THE X‘s title track. Regardless, the members are seen vibing along and being very free with the music and each other in a home video-style video in a summery fashion. This seems pretty normal. But while being perplexed isn’t the way I expected MONSTA X’s first music video in a while to go, I will admit it is very memorable for obvious reasons.

There might also be some choreography to the release, with the routine being shown slightly alongside the second and final choruses. However, I don’t think there is enough for me to comment on it. If it is the accompanying choreography, it does share that wildness that I mentioned earlier with the flailing arms and such. So, I won’t include it in the ‘Overall Rating’ for the time being.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10