On March 24, Monsta X posted the coming soon image of the eleventh EP Shape of Love on the group's official SNS.

[25][26] Robin Murray, writing for Clash, said that the dynamic of "the group vs the individual, outside forces vs their own unique voice – is what drives Shape of Love, a project fuelled by a quiet sense of evolution".

About the tracks, Murray feel that "Love" is buoyed by "red-hot 90s hip-hop vibes, filtering boom-bap elements through an R&B lens", "Burning Up" found "Monsta X lining up alongside R3hab, and it takes the project in a slightly more subtle, soulful, and explicitly emotional direction", "Wildfire" is "all layered vocals and potent lyricism, with I.M having contributed extensively", "Breathe" is "a snappy, quickfire offering", and closing track "And" is "led by stadium-level guitar lines, reminiscent of Coldplay but within a definitively K-pop context".

[27] Reviewing the EP for NME, Rhian Daly described it as "a record which talks about the different types of love in the world and molds the concept in the band's own way".

The old-school groove of "Breathe" portrays the "physical feelings of falling head over heels, from turning red-faced to your lungs struggling to keep up with your heart".

The fan tribute "사랑한다" (Saranghanda), meanwhile is "emotional but offers up lightly bubbling pop with flashes of sparkling synths deployed to evoke subtle euphoria".

[32] Monsta X also received their second Hanteo Chart Silver Certification Plaque for achieving more than 320,000 copies in Initial Chodong sales in its first week of release in South Korea.