Called Shownu X Hyungwon, the unit released its first album, The Unseen, on Tuesday. It comprises five tracks: “Love Me A Little”, “Love Therapy”, “Roll With Me”, “Play Me” and “Slow Dance”.

The pair sing about different versions of themselves, exploring their own perspectives and that of others, and learning to embrace all versions. Hyungwon produced the lead single “Love Me A Little”.

“We put in a lot of thought on what stories we could talk about with the theme,” Hyungwon says. “We thought it would be interesting to express ‘the self that I see and the self others see’, and zoomed in on that to work on the album.

“As our job is to be before the public, there was a time I was confused between the self that people see in me and the self that I see. And with this album, it captures how we embrace all of those selves.”

Shownu says the new album resonated with him.

“I empathised a lot with the difference between the self I see and others see and the question of which one is the real me. I referenced movies and stories with similar concepts to grasp the direction [of the album],” he says.

The duo highlighted how the unit will be different from the full group.

“We felt we won’t be as colourful as we are as a team. So we wanted to bring out our strongest points. We felt it would be nice if [our act] is simple but with an impact,” Shownu says.

“[The choreography] is more about repressing your feelings, but at the same time it expresses when it needs to come out … We tried to show a chic and cynical aura.”

Hyungwon adds the duo wanted to present a more subtle version of the group’s act.

“I wanted to put a difference [between the group and unit’s acts]. I think Monsta X’s fierce image, music and performance complete the charms when all of the members do it together,” he says.

“So with the unit, we tried to capture a more subtle vibe into the music and the performance. When you think of Monsta X’s unit, you would expect a strong concept but it’s different from the performance and choreography we’ve previously done, so there’s unexpectedness to it.”

Hyungwon says he felt pressure in showcasing “Love Me A Little”, which he self-produced, as the first single for the unit’s debut.

“I was never ambitious to have my song as the first single. I just worked on it thinking ‘let’s make a song that I will have no regrets with’, and it ended up becoming the single,” he says.

“I was happy at first but as time passed, I felt a weight on my shoulders. Working on the song was a nice stimulant, which was a great opportunity personally.”