MUNA - Saves The World

Released in 2019, Saves The World is the sophomore masterwork from the Los Angeles trio MUNA. While their debut About U established their "dark-pop" credentials, this follow-up sees Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin expanding their horizons and "breaking free from the shackles" of traditional heartbreak. The album is a "hallucinatory revelation" of self-discovery, gliding from the "soul-baring melancholy" of "Navy Blue" to the "pulsating urgency" of the unabashed dancefloor banger "Number One Fan."

Thematically, the record is "unflinchingly honest," shifting the focus from external relationships to internal healing. Whether it’s the Robyn-esque defiance of "Never" or the "Carly Rae-infused" pop of "Taken," the band swaps dense synths for "outright pop precision" when the moment calls for it. The journey culminates in the "cinematic and hopeful" "It's Gonna Be OK, Baby," a track that depicts emotional recovery with "powerful accuracy," securing the album's place as a "mandatory cornerstone" for anyone navigating the "existential muck" of adulthood.