For lack of a better term MONSTA is pop. But it’s good pop not reminiscent of anything on the radio of today but the kind of good pop that takes known conventions and tweaks them to free them of any kind of mold. With “Holdin’ On” MONSTA is taking that woman or man of your past who had some attractive qualities but overall was completely disgusting to you and then stripped them of the aspects you hated and replaced them with something interesting. And now you want to ask that person out on a naked date.

Don’t let me fool you “Holdin’ On” is still very much mainstream. It’s not reinventing a genre here. It’s just taking all the best parts of a few and putting it into one song. I’ll just let them say it, “We were brought together by a mutual adoration of the work of Britney Spears and Otis Redding (separately, not in a dueting sense).”

They are soulful and heavy. “Holdin’ On” isn’t a ease your way into the workday type of song. It’s coming right at you with some wobbly dub bass (Don’t let this turn you off. It’s not bro-step), some sampling, a catchy chorus, and a very polished clean sound.

I have towed along two clouds. “Holdin’ On” of course and a cover of “Heard it through the Grapevine.”

Welcome to your Thursday.

“Holdin’ On”

“Grapevine”