MONSTA X 'The Phase' Explained: 'MAGIC', Tracklist & Everything About the Sept 4 Comeback
▲ MONSTA X — The Phase trailer (full ver.) · © Starship Entertainment / MONSTA X Official
MONSTA X are back — and they picked an oddly specific hour to do it. The six-member veterans return on September 4 with a new EP titled The Phase, led by the title track “MAGIC.” Here’s the detail even seasoned fans double-checked: it drops at 1 PM KST, not the usual 6 PM. That’s not a typo — it’s a clue about what this comeback actually is.
It’s MONSTA X’s first Korean comeback in nearly a year, arriving in their 11th year together. So if you’re just now seeing “MONSTA X” trending and wondering what The Phase is, who’s in the group, and why the timing is so specific — here’s the whole thing, from a Seoul-side view.
What is “The Phase”?
The Phase is a new EP (mini-album) from Starship Entertainment, out September 4, 2026 at 1 PM KST, with “MAGIC” as its lead single. That early-afternoon release time is the tell: it’s synced to the group’s ongoing world tour, 2026 MONSTA X WORLD TOUR “THE X : NEXUS.”
The album isn’t a standalone drop — it continues a storyline the group calls its “light universe.” In the tour’s narrative, the members cross a portal into a new dimension; The Phase picks up right there, turning the concert lore into an album. It’s the kind of long-game worldbuilding MONSTA X has leaned on since their 2015 debut, and it’s a big part of why their fandom stays so locked in.
Who’s actually in MONSTA X?
MONSTA X is a six-member group: Shownu (leader), Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M. They debuted in 2015 as a seven-member act through the survival show No.Mercy; the group has performed as six since Wonho’s departure in 2019. Kihyun and Hyungwon anchor the vocals, Joohoney and I.M handle the rap line, and all six are known for a hard-hitting, dance-forward stage style.
Why now — and why it’s a big deal
Here’s the context most global previews skip. Five of the members completed their mandatory military service between 2021 and 2025, which is why there was a long stretch without full-group Korean releases. The group fully regrouped for last year’s EP The X (September 2025), and The Phase is the next chapter of that reunion era.
Staying together for 11 years and maintaining one continuous sci-fi storyline is genuinely rare in K-pop. Plenty of groups from the 2015 class have disbanded or gone quiet. MONSTA X kept the lore, kept the lineup, and kept touring — which is exactly what makes a comeback like this land as an event rather than just a release.
The “MAGIC” concept & tracklist
Starship rolled the concept out as an omnibus trailer (released August 17) stitched from each member’s solo teaser. The vignettes are deliberately surreal: Hyungwon endlessly cleaning a window in a sharp suit, Minhyuk walking into a room where a Santa figure is tied up, Joohoney breaking into a back-tumble mid-meal, Kihyun headbanging as confetti rains down, and Shownu dramatically popping a balloon. They all converge in a mysterious mansion, and the back half tips into cinematic chaos — furniture wrecked, members bolting. The label describes it as refined music and visuals with a bold streak of humor: MONSTA X “at their most multidimensional yet.”
Starship’s tracklist reveal lists six tracks: “MAGIC” (title), “Type X,” “Survivor,” “Electric Heart,” “That’s My Girl,” and “Sweet Night, Sweet Morning.” Six tracks for six members — a structure the group also used on The X.
π°π· The Korean side
On theqoo, the teaser concept blew up in real time. Korean fans clocked a retro ’90s hip-hop mood in the styling and started name-dropping the golden age of Korean hip-hop — Deux, Roo’ra, Diva. Domestic coverage leans into MONSTA X’s long-standing “beast idol” (μ§μ΅λ) image: a group filed under raw, performance-first intensity rather than soft pop.
π The global side
MONBEBE (the fandom) abroad are tying the release straight to tour dates they’re already attending. And the unusual 1 PM KST drop actually plays nicer for some non-Korean timezones — for US fans it lands around midnight ET / 9 PM PT on Sept 3, before the tour rolls on.
π The gap
Korean fans read The Phase as chapter 11 of a decade-long worldbuilding project. Many global newcomers are meeting the “light universe” for the first time through the tour. Same album — two completely different entry points.
Why it matters
Comebacks from 11-year-old groups usually get framed as nostalgia. This one isn’t. MONSTA X self-produce a lot of their material, tie their albums to a living tour narrative, and still perform like a rookie group with something to prove. The Phase is a test of whether that model — longevity plus continuity plus intensity — can keep pulling new listeners in. On the early numbers of tour buzz, it looks like it can.
The physical release & the promo run
Buying a physical copy? The Phase arrives in several versions — Starship listed Offset, Refined, Hyper, and Phase editions alongside individual member digipaks, the usual collector spread that sends fans chasing photocards. The lead-up has been unusually dense, too: individual member story trailers, the full omnibus trailer on August 17, staggered concept-photo waves, a mood sampler, and a final music-video teaser in the days before launch. If you’ve lost the thread, here’s the short version — every teaser has been building toward the “MAGIC” music video, which drops alongside the album on September 4.
FAQ
What time does “The Phase” come out?
1 PM KST on September 4, 2026 — earlier than the typical 6 PM K-pop release, timed to the group’s world tour. That’s roughly midnight ET / 9 PM PT on September 3 for US fans.
How many members does MONSTA X have?
Six: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, and I.M. The group has been six-member since Wonho left in 2019.
Is “MAGIC” the title track?
Yes. Starship confirmed “MAGIC” as the lead single with the August 17 trailer.
π Key details
- Release: September 4, 2026
- Time: 1 PM KST (midnight ET / 9 PM PT, Sept 3)
- Type: EP (mini-album)
- Title track: “MAGIC”
- Agency: Starship Entertainment
- Members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney, I.M
- Fandom: MONBEBE
- Tie-in: 2026 World Tour “THE X : NEXUS”
π¬ Jamie’s Take
I have a soft spot for groups that refuse to coast. MONSTA X could easily do a safe anniversary single and call it a decade. Instead they’re building a portal-crossing “light universe” and releasing the album at a tour-synced 1 PM like it’s a plot beat. That’s the MONSTA X thing — extra on purpose. I’ll be up at midnight for “MAGIC,” and I suspect a lot of you will too.
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