I first discovered the then up-and-coming band MUNA during a transitional phase of my life. Their debut single, “Winterbreak,” was released in the winter of 2016, which also happened to be a few months into my junior year of college, and only a month after I broke up with my ex-boyfriend of two years (for the second and final time). It was a time where I was getting closer to the real world, and closer to the idea that I had to stand on my own and become a real “adult,” which, I still don’t really feel like I am, ten years later.
Looking back, it was also a time of transition in the world. Just a few months after this new music discovery, Donald Trump would be elected as the 45th president of the United States, something that millions of people never imagined to be in the realm of possibility. Less than a month after that fateful Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, MUNA, who had released three more songs following “Winterbreak,” dropped the groundbreaking single “I Know A Place,” which has since become a rallying cry for resistance for queer people dreaming of a safe space to be themselves in a tumultuous world. The song is one of MUNA’s most popular, currently sitting at nearly 46 million streams on Spotify alone.
As a fan who can say in that annoying, know-it-all kind of way, that they’ve (meaning me) been here since the jump, MUNA’s bravery and fearlessness to never censor themselves has been inspiring to witness over the last ten years. I’ve watched them pay their dues as supporting artists, opening for acts like Bleachers, Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves, and Taylor Swift, observing with admiration as they continue to not only grow their fanbase, but develop their art in new and exciting ways without ever straying too far away from their identity. They can do the dark, gothic pop of 2017’s About U, the synth-pop of 2019’s Saves The World, and the glam rock of 2022’s MUNA. And all three come together seamlessly, like the last piece of the puzzle, on their newest release, Dancing On The Wall, which dropped this past Friday via Saddest Factory Records.
When I saw that MUNA was performing two album release shows in Los Angeles to support the record, I knew I had to be in attendance. It’s been over four years since I last saw them perform two different showcases at South By Southwest back in 2022, and knew that their two night run at the Shrine Expo Hall would be their biggest shows in LA to date.
Starting just a few minutes after 9PM, MUNA played the new album from start to finish, “It Gets So Hot” opening the night, complete with pulsating strobe lights picking up at the 90 second mark of the song to match the tempo of the melody. The lights remained off of lead singer Katie Gavin’s face, giving her vocals the ultimate chance to shine without any distraction.
I’ve only been to The Shrine Expo Hall once before, and definitely didn’t remember the production value being this high. Large LED screens flanked side of the stage with a walkway down the middle, each song presenting a new visual on screen. For a band that has always understood the importance of atmosphere and prioritizing their shows to feel like escapism, this felt like their most fully realized live environment yet.
What was most striking, though, was how tight the band sounded. I’ve seen them over eight times at this point, and clearly, they have the talent to execute their music in a live setting enough to pull large crowds, but this performance felt unbelievably polished without being sterile. Every synth, harmony, and dynamic shift from song to song landed seamlessly, as if the band has been touring this record for months, when in reality, this show was their second time performing from start to finish EVER.
Despite the material being brand new for the audience, everyone locked in. Highlights for myself included “Dancing On The Wall,” a perfect pick for the album’s lead single, “So What,” an introspective take on the hollow feelings of validation when receiving it from strangers, and of course: “Big Stick,” the band’s most explicitly politically-charged song to date. A scathing indictment of the commodification of social media, America’s imperial reach, and the generational trauma being inflicted on children in Palestine, “Big Stick” carries a weight that could feel performative in lesser hands, but coming from a band who has never backed down from making a statement, “Big Stick” lands like a gut punch.
Following the performance of Dancing on The Wall, MUNA retreated from the stage for a couple minutes before returning for a boisterous run through of some of their biggest hits and fan favorites, including “Stayaway,” “What I Want,” “Number One Fan,” and others. The biggest surprise inclusion was the song “Promise,” a deep cut from the band’s debut album, which definitely got less of a crowd reaction than the others, but a nice addition from a longtime fan like me (sorry to mention it again).
Then came “I Know A Place,” a song that has always been an anthem, but even more so when the band sings their updated bridge: “Even if our skin or Gods look different, I believe all human life is significant / I throw my arms open wide in resistance / He’s not my leader even if he’s my president.” Hearing those words sung back by a room full of people at the Shrine Expo Hall, in this particular political moment, brought me right back to that 21-year-old girl discovering “Winterbreak” in her college apartment a decade ago: except now, the world is more frightening. But somehow, it’s more full of people willing to say it out loud. MUNA has been that kind of band from the very beginning, and watching them refuse to soften that message as they’ve grown bigger, not smaller, is what I hope the crowd took away from the evening.
MUNA closed the performance with “Silk Chiffon,” their biggest and most joyful song to date, and the Shrine Expo Hall became something close to euphoric. It was the perfect exhale after everything that came before it: a reminder that resistance and celebration have never been mutually exclusive, and that MUNA have understood the assignment from the jump.
Dancing On The Wall is out now.
0 comments on “MUNA Brings New Album ‘Dancing On The Wall’ to Life at the Shrine Expo Hall”