Arriving hot (and sticky) off the heels of the lead-up to Pride, synthpop trio MUNA return with the sapphic sprawl of Dancing On The Wall.
Release date: May 8. 2026 | Saddest Factory Records | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Website
It always struck me as ironic how this alternative/indie pop trio have only gotten more commercial success and gained an even steadier fanbase since straying from major label RCA Records. After 2019’s Saves the World earned them a modest synthpop hit with “Number One Fan”, MUNA signed with an independent imprint, Saddest Factory, releasing “Silk Chiffon” and their eponymous third studio album. That record saw their highest chart success to date, and – despite the mythos surrounding huge labels in the music industry – it wasn’t even on a major.
Still with Saddest Factory, the openly queer MUNA continue their path to making insanely accessible music and constructing propulsive hooks with Dancing On The Wall, a sapphic sprawl of an LP that arrives hot (and sticky) off the heels of the lead-up to LGBTQ+ Pride Month. ‘It gets so hot that I can’t even think straight/And she’s so hot when she’s putting on her make-up‘, frontwoman Katie Gavin lusts on “It Gets So Hot”. Images of heat dripping out onto a concrete surface are punctuated with resonant synths and arpeggios. By the time you hear the first verse repeated over pounding industrial percussion, you’ll feel as if the temperature has increased tenfold. It may be repetitive, but even its repetitious lyrics and abrupt ending add to the track’s hazy daydream vibe.
Although “It Gets So Hot” is far and away the catchiest number from Dancing On The Wall, there are still many more A-list hooks that the record has to offer. “Dancing On The Wall” and “Eastside Girls”, two of the album’s most straightforward synthpop odes to artists like Madonna and Prince, immediately follow “It Gets So Hot” in the tracklist. These songs feature production that is more scaled back, but they are no less catchy and enticing. Other songs, like the glam headrush of a single “Wannabeher”, far exceed my expectations, whereas a song such as “Big Stick” subverts them. In the latter case, it’s the most politically outspoken MUNA have been on record to date, and the faster beat gives it a restless energy, almost akin to post-punk, as scathing lines directed at our government like ‘America gives more than America takes/We give weapons to dictators in apartheid states‘ come shooting out rapid-fire.
The album’s brightest moments, however, are when MUNA experiment sonically, as on “Wannabeher”, “It Gets So Hot”, and even the Tears for Fears-esque “On Call”. Yet “Buzzkiller” proves to be the real showstopper on Dancing On The Wall. Not only is this a perfect comedown from a danceable batch of tunes, but its sidechained stutter reminiscent of “Beside You in Time” by Nine Inch Nails pairs well with Gavin’s lament that she feels like such a killjoy. ‘I made it to the protest/The speech made me cry/But then I came home and I still feel hopeless‘. It’s a heartbreaking, piano-backed reflection of what it’s like for many of us when we’re able to join together in solidarity while knowing in the back of our minds that we’re still so confused and isolated back home, completing the album’s varied sprawl in a moving way.
Are there moments on this album that feel a little unnecessary? Sure. “Party’s Over” and “…Unless” are only brief interludes, and they don’t really do much except add to album aesthetics. Aside from that, Dancing On The Wall by MUNA is all killer, no filler, so prepare to turn the thermostat up to ‘it gets so fucking hot‘ levels and dance your ass off to the sound of queer angst, lust, liberation, and joy! Let this album be your soundtrack to this year’s Pride festivities… and keep on listening to it as well as their excellent back catalogue long after the month is over.
