On September 6, 2019, MUNA released their sophomore album, Saves The World. The album opens with a track titled “Grow.” “Grow” serves as a perfect transition between the old MUNA era of their debut album About U and this new era. One lyric in particular stood out to me: “I think that I’m ready to take this song off repeat.” However, as MUNA fans, we all know we now have many more songs to put on repeat. “Grow” is the perfect intro to this new album and transitions directly into “Number One Fan,” the lead single from this album. “Number One Fan” is an incredibly catchy song that you cannot resist dancing to, and the lyrics are fun and relatable to anyone with a crush or a relationship. This bop transitions into “Stayaway,” which in my humble opinion is the best song on the album. “Stayaway” was the third single released from this album and boasts incredible production alongside heart-wrenching lyrics.
The middle of the album features tracks such as “Who,” “Navy Blue,” and “Never” that remind us why we started listening to MUNA in the first place. The lyrics are introspective and contemplative, and the production and harmonies are refreshing and unheard of in the rest of the indie pop scene. Track 7-9 is perhaps the best stretch of songs on the album: “Pink Light” “Taken” and “Hands Off.” All of these tracks feature MUNA’s more refined and grown up sound, and they are all complete bangers. Track 10 is titled “Good News (The Ya-Ya Song)” which features a catchy, sing-along chorus that stands out from the vibe of the rest of the album. I walk away from this album with the Ya-Ya’s stuck in my head for hours.
One of the highlights of the album is the two minute long transition track “Memento.” Even though it is one of the shortest songs on the album, it leaves one of the biggest impacts. The lyrics are beautifully crafted and the production is one of the stand-out moments of the album. This leads into the near six minute closing track “It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby.” The repeating chorus of “it’s gonna be okay, baby, it’s gonna be okay,” after each of the six verses is a great reminder to their fans as they sing it to themselves and hear it from musicians that they look up to. The song outlines different situations in each verse and MUNA made this track incredibly relatable to everyone listening. It is a wonderful note to close on with an echo of “It’s gonna be okay” lingering in the listener’s head after the album.
