MUNA – ‘Dancing On The Wall’ album review: A stagnant party
Around the time of their last album, 2022’s self-titled effort, MUNA received much hype. Previously critical darlings and cult leaders of the queer pop scene, they hit the bit time – but then where do you go from there?
The Skinny: I remember it well. It was 2017, I was at uni and there under the haze of a new legal ability to drink, a lack of responsibility and first loves and first heartbreaks burning around me, MUNA arrived like the ultimate soundtrack. It fit perfectly because that’s also basically the origin story of the group – the trio met at college, two of its members used to date, and the beginning of the band soundtracked their own period of self-discovery that hits everyone at the start of adulthood when the training wheels come off.
Their first releases buzzed with that. All the emotions feel neon, whether it be the freeing excitement of ‘I Know A Place’, the sad introspection of ‘Taken’ or the spiralling post-breakup confusion of ‘Stayaway’. Everything about their music felt immediate and exciting, even perfectly candid on tracks like ‘Number One Fan’.
When MUNA landed, housing their huge collaboration ‘Silk Chiffon’ as well as some of the finest songs the band have ever made, like the joyous ‘Anything But Me’ or the anthemic ‘Home By Now’, the band rightfully took their position in the crown jewels of that specific scene. The scene was captured perfectly at the defining show where MUNA, Ethel Cain and Boygenius shared a stage at Gunnersbury Park.
But after that, even the band seemed to falter. Once you’ve made it big, and once the expectation hits heavier, how do you move forward? The group decided to take a brief hiatus, with Katie Gavin sharing a solo project. However, as they regroup with Dancing On The Wall, it just feels like something is missing.
Each track feels like having the big light on. Every effort feels polished and big, held down by a beat you could dance to, and laden with potential hooks. But as they all feel bright, nothing actually stands out. Listening from start to finish ends up feeling one-note, or even headache-inducing as it lacks a solid moment of peace, or shadows for shade.
Emotionally, there is variety. But looking back at MUNA, the band presented so much. There was outright indie, outright pop, and then all kinds of shades of folk, alt, country and beyond. The last album felt like an evolution from the one before, just as Saves The World did before. In contrast, Dancing On The Wall feels like a stagnation. It’s not bad, not by any measure, but it doesn’t feel like a step forward.
Standout Track: ‘Buzzkiller’
The Verdict: Dancing On The Wall feels like the band found one way in with a solid indie pop song, and then just spiralled around the same pole. Despite its length – 13 tracks – it lacks a journey to go on. While all focusing around the chaos of the modern age, and the club as a symbol for that, it feels as though we never leave.
Release date: 8th May | Producer: Naomi McPherson | Label: Saddest Factory
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