Veteran boy band Monsta X is not a group known for doing things quietly.

For more than a decade, the six-member group built its name on high-octane performances, thunderous charisma and bold declarations of love in its music. But as members Shownu and Hyungwon step out on their own as a duo, the volume drops — and the heat rises.

“Love Me,” set to be released at 6 p.m. on Thursday, is the second EP from Shownu X Hyungwon, the duo of Monsta X members Shownu and Hyungwon. The duo debuted in 2023 with its first EP, “The Unseen,” becoming Monsta X’s first subunit since its launch in 2015 under Starship Entertainment. The latest EP, therefore, marks Shownu X Hyungwon’s first release together in nearly three years.

“As a full group, we have rappers in the team, so we tend to center the performance around a more explosive kind of appeal,” said Hyungwon during a roundtable interview with reporters held at Starship Entertainment’s headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday. “But this time, we wanted to show more of the restrained mood that Shownu and I have.

“Both Shownu and I have voices in lower range, and performance-wise, we are both better at expressing ourselves through restraint,” he added. “So we focused on those qualities when putting together the stage.”

Hyungwon and Shownu are the two tallest members of Monsta X and, along with the youngest member I.M, among the group’s more reserved personalities. That gives the duo its own distinct edge, Shownu said.

“When we promote as a full group, there are six of us, so we can show a more colorful range of intensity,” Shownu said. “But as a duo, we’re able to be more selective and focused. I hope we can leave a lasting impression through the body lines and silhouettes we create in our choreography, as well as the strong hook of the lead single.”

“Love Me” features seven songs: The lead track, “Do You Love Me,” and B-sides, “Superstitious,” “In My Head,” “Breathe” and “Accelerator,” along with Shownu’s solo track “Around & Go” and Hyungwon’s “No Air.”

“The lead single, this time, is faster-paced than our previous release and has a stronger hook,” said Shownu. “And we wanted to show more mature and diverse sides of us, something more evolved than before.”

Among the duo’s songs, Hyungwon wrote “Superstitious,” “In My Head” and “Accelerator,” all of which he composed with specific purposes in mind: “Superstitious,” to bring out the vocal strengths of himself and Shownu; “Accelerator,” as a message asking fans to trust them in their journey together; and “In My Head,” as an anthem for festivals, especially because they are set to perform at Waterbomb Seoul 2026 on July 25.

“I think us as a duo has distinctive strength in live performances and on festival stages,” said Shownu. “We have a lot to offer in performance, as well as in interacting with the audience.”

The duo is releasing the new album amid Monsta X’s ongoing “The X: Nexus” world tour, which kicked off in January in Seoul and will soon enter its Latin American leg with a June 4 show in Mexico City. It also comes right after the group released its U.S. studio album, “Unfold,” on April 3.

Despite the rigorous schedule, Shownu X Hyungwon is determined to continue to offer fans something new and refreshing.

“Whenever things got difficult, I felt that I didn’t want to miss out on anything,” said Hyungwon. “I thought that was the best I could give the fans, so I endured by telling myself to give everything I had while I still could.”

Shownu also said that what keeps him going are the messages fans leave for him online.

“Sometimes, they share stories about how they were able to carry on through hardships because of us,” he said. “Of course, what I did was make music, perform on stage and communicate with fans. But knowing that those things could become a source of strength — even a kind of healing — for someone is both amazing and something I’m really grateful for.”

The duo says chart performance or sales figures do not matter as much as how much fans like the new music.

“I think results and money are probably the two things in life that are hardest to control,” said Hyungwon, with a smile. “If I become too caught up in chasing results or money, instead of letting them follow what I do, I feel like I could be consumed by them before I know it. So I try to clear my mind and follow my own path.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]