All About Luv is the sixth studio album, and first English-language album, by South Korean boy group Monsta X. It was released through Epic Records on February 14, 2020. Its release was preceded by several sporadically released singles, including "Who Do U Love?" featuring French Montana and "Love U".[4] The song ranked number five on the US Billboard 200.[5]
Background
The album is a pop-oriented album with "electro-pop and R&B melodies", a noted difference from the dance music on their Korean releases.[1] The album features the vocals of Wonho, who left the group in October 2019.
Promotion
The band performed at various locations in and around Los Angeles on the day of the album's release, also holding meet-and-greet and Q&A sessions at Tower Records and The Roxy. Several events on the east coast of the United States were held on February 19 and 20—a release party at the Paramount in Huntington, New York, as well as an appearance at the LiveNation store in Manhattan, and a performance at Chelsea Music Hall.[6]
Monsta X was to tour the United States throughout June and July 2020 in support of the album,[4] but the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Critical reception
Tamar Herman of Billboard called the album a "pure blown pop album full of tracks that relay the emotions of romance" with a focus on "an overwhelming sense of sentimentality and smoothness".[1] It was also described as "an effective and often charming throwback to the harmonizing and hook construction of a bygone era" and as "a time machine worth returning to in recent months".[8]
Reviewing the album for Variety, Jae-ha Kim wrote that while it was released on Valentine's Day, "its most powerful tracks deal with breakups and deceit" and that the album is "[f]ull of throbbing beats [and] inquisitive lyrics" and "a sleek production that seamlessly blends soulful pop with elements of hip-hop and EDM". Kim also felt that "the Korean group's powerful vocal delivery doesn't get lost in translation", summarizing that with the release, the group "has proven that K-pop transcends language barriers and that's something to be happy about".[9]
Sarah Deen of Metro added that the album "not only shakes off the 'cute' image but boots it up the backside off a cliff" and "the buzzy, EDM sound from their Korean albums has been traded in for club-friendly pop".[2]
Commercial performance
All About Luv debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 dated February 29, 2020 with 52,000 album-equivalent units, including 50,000 pure album sales. It is Monsta X's first entry on the said chart, although not their first on Billboard charts overall.[5]
The album also debuted at number seven on the US Rolling Stone Top 200 on its first week with 41,600 album-equivalent units, including 38,400 pure album sales. It is the group's first entry on the said chart.[10]