The Unseen (stylized as THE UИSEEN) is the debut extended play by the South Korean boy group Monsta X's first official sub-unit Shownu X Hyungwon. It was released by Starship Entertainment and distributed by Kakao Entertainment on July 25, 2023. The EP contains five tracks, including the lead single "Love Me a Little".

The Unseen
Digital cover
EP by
ReleasedJuly 25, 2023
GenreK-pop
Length15:20
LanguageKorean
Label
Singles from The Unseen
  1. "Love Me a Little"
    Released: July 25, 2023

Background and release

edit

In May 2023, Starship Entertainment announced that Shownu and Hyungwon will form Monsta X's first sub-unit but its schedule had not yet been set.[1] On June 26, Starship Entertainment revealed their official logo through the group's official SNS, announcing the debut of the duo at the end of July.[2] On June 28, it was revealed that the EP's title is The Unseen,[3] with the lead single titled "Love Me a Little" and four new tracks, revealed on July 12.[4] On July 25, Shownu X Hyungwon had The Unseen Release Talk Live, to commemorate the release of the EP and communicate with fans through Monsta X's official YouTube channel.[5]

The physical EP was released in two standard and limited edition versions, alongside jewel cases version and a KiT version.[6][7][8][9][10]

Composition

edit

Hyungwon produced "Love Me a Little", as well as the B-side song "Roll with Me", while Shownu participated in the choreography.[11]

The Unseen contains the perspectives of two people who greet numerous "me" who exist in the eyes of others.[9] It also shows how Shownu and Hyungwon expand their own world with delicate details and composure, capturing a darker and more mature image of them, a culmination of 8 years of hard work.[12]

"Love Me a Little" is a track with a midtempo chorus backed by percussion,[13] depicting the conflict between our true self and what others want us to be, "Love Therapy" is a hybrid pop style-groovy undercurrent of 808 bass track with a charming melody and mournful vocals, "Roll with Me" is a smoky, piano-backed track in an impressively unique arrangement, "Play Me" is a electro-pop synthesizer track which arrays their various charms, and "Slow Dance" is a dream-pop masterpiece with gentle 8-bit notes track which stands out with the duo's sweet voice.[12][14]

Commercial performance

edit

The Unseen placed at number 5 on the Circle Chart's Retail Album Chart, for the week of July 23 to 29, with 24,953 copies sold, while number 6 and number 26 on the Circle Album Chart, with 111,297 copies sold.[15][16] The EP also placed at number 1 on the Hanteo's Global Authentication Chart, for the month of August.[17]

For the EP's tracks, three of which entered the Billboard's Hot Trending Songs Chart, for the week of July 30 to August 5, with "Love Therapy" at number 7, "Play Me" at number 10, and "Slow Dance" at number 14.[18]

Track listing

edit
The Unseen track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Love Me a Little"
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
  • Jantine Annika Heij
  • Rudi Zygadlo
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
3:19
2."Love Therapy"Cho Yoon-kyung
  • Stereo14
  • Eung Kim
  • Jimmy Claeson
  • Stereo14
  • Eung Kim
2:44
3."Roll with Me"
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
  • Roel Rats
  • Marcia "Misha Angèle" Sondeijker
  • Jim van Hooff
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
  • Roel Rats
  • Hyungwon
  • Justin Oh
3:05
4."Play Me"Danke (Lalala Studio)
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • Michael "Omega" Fonseca
  • Benjamin Samama
  • Jordan Reyes
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • Michael "Omega" Fonseca
  • Jordan Reyes
3:20
5."Slow Dance"Brother Su
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • Benjamin Samama
  • KillaGram
  • Sam DeRosa
  • Cory Enemy
  • Ryan S. Jhun
  • Cory Enemy
2:52
Total length:15:20

Charts

edit

Certification and sales

edit
Certification and sales for The Unseen
Region Certification Certified units/sales
South Korea 178,695[20]

Awards and nominations

edit
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 [21]

Release history

edit
Release history and formats for The Unseen
Region Date Format Label
South Korea July 25, 2023
Various
  • Digital download
  • streaming

References

edit
  1. ^ Lee, Min-ji (May 3, 2023). 스타쉽 "셔누X형원, 몬스타엑스 첫 유닛 준비 중" [공식] [Starship "Shownu X Hyungwon, preparing for the first unit of MONSTA X" [Official]]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Naver.
  2. ^ Seon, Mi-kyung (June 27, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 7월 말 유닛 데뷔..로고 공개[공식] [Monsta X Shownu X Hyungwon, unit debut at the end of July..Logo revealed [Official]]. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Naver.
  3. ^ Kang, Da-yoon (June 29, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 7월 5일 유닛 데뷔…첫 미니 '디 언씬' 발매 [공식] [MONSTA X's Shownu X Hyungwon, unit debut on July 5... Released the first mini 'The Unseen' [Official]]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Naver.
  4. ^ Jeong, Hee-yeon (July 13, 2023). 형원 자작곡=타이틀곡…몬스타엑스 유닛 셔누X형원 트랙리스트 공개 [Hyungwon's self-composed song = title song... Monsta X Unit Shownu X Hyungwon Track List Revealed]. Sports Dong-A (in Korean). Retrieved July 13, 2023 – via Naver.
  5. ^ Kim, Se-hee (July 25, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 오늘(25일) '디 언씬' 발매 기념 토크 라이브 진행 [Monsta X Shownu X Hyungwon, today (25th), 'The Unseen' release commemorative talk live]. Bridge Economy (in Korean). Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Jeong, Hye-yeon (July 14, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 유닛 앨범 '디 언씬' 콘셉트 포토 공개 [MONSTA X's Shownu X Hyungwon unveils concept photos for unit album 'The Unseen']. K-pop Herald (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  7. ^ Jin, Joo-hee (July 15, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 유닛 시너지 기대....'디 언씬' 콘셉트 포토 공개 [MONSTA X Shownu X Hyungwon expect unit synergy...'The Unseen' concept photo released]. MK Sports (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  8. ^ Son, Bong-seok (July 17, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 첫 유닛 앨범 두 번째 콘셉트 포토[화보] [Monsta X Shownu X Hyungwon, the second concept photo of the first unit album [pictorial]]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  9. ^ a b Choi, Song-hee (July 18, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, '디 언씬' 두 번째 콘셉트 포토 추가 공개 [MONSTA X Shownu X Hyungwon unveils second concept photo for 'The Unseen']. Aju Economy (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Park, Seo-yeon (July 20, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 닮은 듯 다른 '디 언씬' 콘셉트 포토 [MONSTA X Shownu X Hyungwon, similar but different 'The Unseen' concept photo]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Naver.
  11. ^ Oh, Yoon-joo (July 14, 2023). 몬스타엑스 셔누X형원, 닮은 듯 다르네…'문짝즈'의 첫 유닛 [MONSTA X's Shownu X Hyungwon, similar but different... The first unit of 'Moonjjakz']. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved July 14, 2023 – via Naver.
  12. ^ a b Cho, Hye-jin (July 25, 2023). 몬스타엑스 유닛 셔누X형원, 오늘(25일) 데뷔 [Monsta X unit Shownu X Hyungwon, debut today (25th)]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved July 25, 2023 – via Naver.
  13. ^ Bowenbank, Starr (July 25, 2023). "Monsta X's Shownu & Hyungwon Team Up for First Joint Mini Album 'The Unseen': Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Chin, Carmen (July 28, 2023). "Shownu X Hyungwon: We are all conflicted in some way". NME. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Week 30 of 2023 Retail Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). July 23–29, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Week 30 of 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). July 23–29, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  17. ^ Hong, Eun-hye (September 4, 2023). BTS 제이홉-엔시티-셔누X형원, 한터 8월 차트 '정상 등극' [BTS J-Hope-NCT-Shownu X Hyungwon, 'Climb to the Top' of Hanteo August Chart]. Electronic Newspaper (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  18. ^ "Hot Trending Songs Powered by Twitter". Billboard. July 30 – August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  19. ^ "July 2023 Album Chart". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Cumulative sales for The Unseen (KiT + CD):
  21. ^ MMA2023: 부문별 투표 [MMA2023: Voting by Category]. Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.