Saves the World

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Saves the World
MunaSavesTheWorld.jpg
Studio album by
Muna
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)
Genre
Length43:50
LabelRCA
Producer
Muna chronology
About U
(2017) 		Saves the World
(2019)
Singles from Saves the World
  1. "Number One Fan"
    Released: June 7, 2019
  2. "Who"
    Released: June 28, 2019
  3. "Stayaway"
    Released: August 16, 2019
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[2]
Metacritic82/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3/5 stars[4]
Clash9/10[5]
DIY4/5 stars[6]
The Independent5/5 stars[7]
NME4/5 stars[8]
Pitchfork7.7/10[1]
Q4/5 stars[9]
Rolling Stone4/5 stars[10]

Saves the World is the second studio album by American band Muna, released through RCA Records on September 6, 2019.

Background[]

After supporting English singer Harry Styles during his 2017–2018 tour, the band took a hiatus until lead singer Katie Gavin concocted the opening verse of the song "Number One Fan" six months later, starting the album's songwriting process.[11][12] According to guitarist Josette Maskin, the album title represents the band's belief that "saving yourself is the key to saving the world".[13] Maskin also said Saves the World was meant to evoke optimism in listeners.[14]

Music and lyrics[]

Thematically autobiographical, Saves the World has been described as "an emotional excavation."[15] Its lyrics depict explorations of "addiction", "alienation", "romantic desolation", and "cycles of abusive behavior".[11] The band approached the album with the intention of crafting a minimalist sound, with musically shorter sentences in comparison to those in their first album.[14]

Release and promotion[]

"Number One Fan" was released as the lead single from the album on June 7, 2019,[16] followed by the releases of "Who" and "Stayaway" on June 28 and August 16, respectively.[17][18] Saves the World was released on September 6, 2019.[4] Muna embarked on a tour within the United States from September to October 2019 in promotion of the album.[19]

Critical reception[]

Saves the World garnered "rave reviews" upon its release.[11] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds an average score of 82 based on eight reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]

In a perfect five-star review, Alexandra Pollard of The Independent asserted that Saves the World set up the band to joining "the ranks of those who have brazenly borrowed their sound".[7] Rolling Stone's Jonathan Bernstein awarded the album four stars out of five and praised its "concise and clever" yet "never overly precious" songwriting.[10] Writing for Pitchfork, Eve Barlow highlighted how the album was "as sentimental as it is versatile".[1] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic commented that while the album's lyrics were more effective than its hooks, it contained "a handful of low-key anthems".[4]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Muna.

Saves the World track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Grow"Muna1:47
2."Number One Fan"
3:25
3."Stayaway"
3:31
4."Who"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
3:08
5."Navy Blue"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
3:58
6."Never"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
4:03
7."Pink Light"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
4:11
8."Taken"Muna4:05
9."Hands Off"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
3:39
10."Good News (Ya-Ya Song)"
  • Crossey
  • Muna
4:10
11."Memento"Muna2:01
12."It's Gonna Be Okay, Baby"Muna5:44
Total length:43:50

Charts[]

Chart performance for Saves the World
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] 7

Release history[]

Release history and formats for Saves the World
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various September 6, 2019
RCA [21]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Barlow, Eve (September 7, 2019). "MUNA: Saves the World Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "Saves the World by MUNA reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Saves the World by MUNA Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Donelson, Marcy. "Saves the World - MUNA". AllMusic. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Murray, Robin (September 6, 2019). "Muna – Saves The World". Clash. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Tipple, Ben (September 6, 2019). "MUNA - Saves The World". DIY. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Pollard, Alexandra; White, Adam; O'Connor, Roisin (September 5, 2019). "Album reviews: MUNA – Saves the World, Iggy Pop – Free and Chrissie Hynde – Valve Bone Woe". The Independent. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Hunt, El (September 3, 2019). "Muna – 'Saves the World' review". NME. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Saves the World". Q (published October 2019). September 6, 2019. p. 114 – via Metacritic.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Bernstein, Jonathan (September 6, 2019). "MUNA's 'Saves the World' Is a Synth-Rock Course In Deep California Blues". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c Savage, Mark (September 17, 2019). "Muna: Saving the world, one breath at a time". BBC Online. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (September 11, 2019). "MUNA are going to save the world". The Fader. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  13. ^ Cragg, Michael (June 8, 2019). "Muna on Harry Styles, imposter syndrome and Trump-baiting". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Smyth, David (September 6, 2019). "MUNA interview: 'We don't think we can be saved by politicians at the moment'". Evening Standard. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  15. ^ Whelan, Catherine; Tidmarsh, Kevin; Branch, Natasha (September 4, 2019). "Alt-Pop Band MUNA Talks About Its New Album 'Saves The World'". NPR. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  16. ^ Exposito, Suzy (June 7, 2019). "Muna Preach Unabashed Self-Love in New Single, 'Number One Fan'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  17. ^ Schramm, Molly (June 28, 2019). "MUNA Deal with the Helplessness of Heartbreak in Video for Their Latest Single "Who"". Paste. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  18. ^ Martoccio, Angie (August 16, 2019). "Watch Muna Avoid the Past in New Video for 'Stayaway'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  19. ^ Martoccio, Angie (June 18, 2019). "Muna Announces Fall Headline Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  20. ^ "Muna Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  21. ^ "Saves the World by MUNA". Apple Music. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
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