After recording two albums for
RCA
, Los Angeles trio
Muna
signed on with
Phoebe Bridgers
'
Saddest Factory
imprint for the release of their third, self-titled album, a perfectly polished display of indie-modeled pop songs about queer love, infatuation, and self-actualization. The group digs deeper into the synth pop impulses of earlier releases, with songs like "Runner's High," "What I Want," and "Anything But Me" employing propulsive electronic drums and stabbing synth bass as a means of getting across their ample hooks. "No Idea," a tune co-written with
Mitski
, is among the more dynamic and simmering moments on the album, with subtle vocoded vocals exploding in time with squelchy hyperpop production.
also explore a specific brand of country-pop on songs like "Loose Garment" and "Kind of Girl." In these moments their affiliation with
Bridgers
comes to the surface, sounding like slightly more electronically inclined
Punisher
outtakes.
herself shows up on album opener "Silk Chiffon," easily the set's most by-the-numbers pop anthem, down to the DJ record-scratch sound effect that introduces the soaring chorus and the metal-lite guitars that underscore the arrangement as it builds. The song starts things off with a candy-coated bang, and while the rest of the record never quite reaches that level of instantaneous pop gratification,
still turn in some of their better songs from there while also taking their sound to new places. ~ TiVo Staff