NOW PROJECT vol.2 Lands Today: MONSTA X Reclaims Their Origin Story

MONSTA X marked Monbebe's birthday on September 26 with something more considered than a simple fan message: a full eight-track digital album, NOW PROJECT vol.2, dropping at 6 PM KST across major streaming platforms.

The project title carries a deliberate double meaning. "NOW" reads as the present tense, signaling that these songs are being brought into the group's current musical identity rather than preserved as nostalgia. But flip the letters and "NOW" also becomes "MON," the opening syllable of MONSTA X itself. It's the kind of wordplay that sounds cute until you realize how cleanly it frames the whole undertaking: this is the group looking back at themselves.

Eight tracks, one clear through-line

The tracklist pulls from the group's earliest chapter, running from their 2015 debut through 2019: Trespass (Rerecorded), HERO (Broadcasting Ver.), Beautiful, DRAMARAMA, Jealousy, Shoot Out, Alligator, and Follow. Placing Trespass as the lead track is the most pointed choice here. It was the song that introduced MONSTA X to the world, and putting it at the front of a rerecording project built around "who we are now" is a clear statement about where the group's story began.

Starship Entertainment describes the concept as reimagining these representative title tracks through the group's current musical perspective, not just polishing old recordings but reinterpreting them from today's vantage point. The sonic distance between a MONSTA X recording from 2015 and one from 2026 should make that reinterpretation audible.

How vol.2 differs from vol.1

NOW PROJECT vol.1 arrived in May of last year, timed to MONSTA X's tenth debut anniversary. That first volume focused on songs from 2021 to 2023, a period when member Shownu's military service made full-group participation impossible. It was essentially a reunion of material the complete lineup hadn't been able to finish together.

vol.2 operates differently. Where the first project was about filling a gap, this one is about anchoring the group's origin: the early-era tracks that established their identity before the absences and the complications. Together, the two volumes now trace the full arc of MONSTA X's discography in a way that feels intentional rather than commemorative.

Concert stream caps the night

The album release was only half of September 26's fan event. At 10 PM KST, the group's official YouTube channel streamed the Seoul leg of 2026 MONSTA X WORLD TOUR [THE X : NEXUS], which took place earlier this year. For Monbebes who missed the live dates or simply want to revisit them, the timing alongside the album drop makes for a cohesive evening rooted in both the group's past and their present momentum.