About U | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 3, 2017 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:00 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer | Muna | |||
Muna chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from About U | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
DIY | [2] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 [3] |
The Line of Best Fit | 9/10 [4] |
About U is the debut studio album by American band Muna, released through RCA Records on February 3, 2017. It is a dark-pop, [3] synth-pop. [3] and dance-pop [5] album influenced by 80's new wave. [1]
"Winterbreak", the lead single from About U, was released on February 19, 2016. [6] The track went on to peak at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. [7] "Loudspeaker" followed as the second single on April 8, 2016. [8] The release of "Loudspeaker" was accompanied by an EP of the same name, which included the title track, as well "So Special", "Winterbreak" and "Promise", all of which ended up on About U. [9] They performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on November 4, 2016. [10]
"I Know a Place" was released as the third single from the album on December 2, 2016. [11] The song peaked at number 39 on the Adult Top 40 Airplay chart. [12] The band performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 7, 2017 with new anti-Trump lyrics. [13] "Crying on the Bathroom Floor" was released as the album's fourth single on January 20, 2017. [14]
On March 9, 2018 the band released the EP About U: One Year On which featured acoustic versions of "Crying on the Bathroom Floor", "If U Love Me Now", and "I Know a Place". [15]
About U received critical acclaim upon release. [16] [17] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called the album "a promising debut" "with a pleasingly direct lyrical approach, very assured vocals, and enough songs with sharp enough hooks ("Loudspeaker"), emotional punches ("Winterbreak"), or both ("End of Desire") to make it worth the effort to check the record out." [1] DIY's El Hunt called About U "an album that captures the soaring highs and plunging lows [of life], all in one brilliantly executed swoop." [2] Pip Williams, writing for The Line of Best Fit praised the band for representing queer women in their songs, saying "its twelve tracks are an unflinching and unapologetic documentation of the LA trio's lives, and by extension the lives of so many queer women the world over. To hear our own lives reflected in music made by people like us is still devastatingly rare; and to hear a pop album openly mention queer sex in its opening track ("So Special") is even more so." [4]
About U placed at number 41 on Billboard 's list of the best albums of 2017 and the 20th best of the year by The Line of Best Fit. [18] [19]
All tracks are written by and produced by Muna
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "So Special" | 3:57 |
2. | "Loudspeaker" | 3:30 |
3. | "I Know a Place" | 4:33 |
4. | "Winterbreak" | 4:57 |
5. | "Around U" | 5:13 |
6. | "After" | 3:24 |
7. | "Promise" | 3:58 |
8. | "If U Love Me Now" | 4:14 |
9. | "Crying on the Bathroom Floor" | 4:16 |
10. | "End of Desire" | 4:06 |
11. | "Everything" | 4:07 |
12. | "Outro" | 2:45 |
Total length: | 49:00 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [20] | 7 |
"Maps" is a song by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their debut full-length album, Fever to Tell (2003). The song is about the relationship between Liars frontman Angus Andrew and Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O. Released in September 2003, the song reached number nine on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 26 in the United Kingdom. The band performed the song at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, and the music video received extensive play on MTV.
Troye Sivan Mellet is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his third EP, TRXYE (2014), which peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Happy Little Pill", reached the top 10 on Australian music charts. In 2015, he released his fourth extended play, Wild, followed by his debut studio album, Blue Neighbourhood. The album's lead single, "Youth", became Sivan's first single to enter the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 23.
Taylor Monét Parks, known as Tayla Parx, is an American singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and actor. A four-time Grammy nominee in the Album of the Year category, songs she has written and co-written have exceeded 16 billion streams on Spotify and appeared on the pop, hip hop, R & B, K-pop, country, and Latin charts. She has released four albums, an EP, and a mixtape as a solo artist.
Sawayama is the debut studio album by Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 17 April 2020 by Dirty Hit. The follow-up to her self-released debut EP Rina (2017), it received widespread acclaim from music critics, specifically towards the wide variety of music genres used, as well as its Y2K nostalgia and "intelligent" nature. Described by Sawayama herself as being "about family and identity", she lyrically explores personal experiences from both her childhood and adulthood.
Samuel Frederick Smith is an English singer and songwriter. In 2012, they rose to prominence when they featured on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. The following year, they featured on Naughty Boy's single "La La La", which became a number one single in the UK.
"Strong" is a song by British indie pop group London Grammar. The song was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2013. The song peaked at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart, making it their highest-charting single in the UK to-date. Outside the United Kingdom, "Strong" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, with sales and airplay from both the original version and High Contrast remix.
Alma-Sofia Miettinen, known professionally as Alma, is a Finnish singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in 2013, she placed fifth in the seventh season of the Finnish version of Idol. Her breakthrough came in 2015 when she was featured on the single "Muuta ku mä" by Sini Sabotage, and was subsequently signed to Universal Music Group.
Muna is an American indie pop band consisting of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. They released two studio albums with RCA Records, About U (2017) and Saves the World (2019), before signing with independent label Saddest Factory Records, which released their third studio album, Muna, in June 2022.
"Crying in the Club" is the debut solo single by American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello. It was released on May 19, 2017, by Epic Records and Syco. It was written by Cabello, Sia, Benny Blanco and Happy Perez, with production handled by Blanco, Perez and Cashmere Cat. The song contains an interpolation of Christina Aguilera's 1999 single "Genie in a Bottle". A mid-tempo tropical pop and dance track, it was originally intended to be the lead single from Cabello's debut studio album, which was originally titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving. It was later removed from the track listing and featured on Side A of the 7-inch eponymous extended play released on July 14, 2017.
Camila is the debut solo studio album by American singer Camila Cabello. It was released on January 12, 2018, through Epic Records and Syco. Work on the album began in January 2017, following Cabello's departure from the girl group Fifth Harmony. The project was originally titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving., with Cabello's debut solo single "Crying in the Club" intended as the lead single. The album was later retitled Camila with "Havana" serving as its official lead single due to the rising success of the song, and "Crying in the Club" was cut from the final track listing. "Havana" became an international success, topping the charts of multiple countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, the UK, and the US, and reaching the top 10 of several others. Primarily a pop record, it also incorporates elements of R&B, Latin, reggaeton, dancehall and hip hop. Camila was produced by Frank Dukes, Skrillex and T-Minus, among others.
Don't Smile at Me is the debut extended play by American singer Billie Eilish, released on August 11, 2017, via Darkroom and Interscope Records. Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell wrote most of the material on the EP and were solely responsible for its production. It is an electropop and bedroom pop record with elements of R&B and jazz.
Olivia Rebecca Devine, known professionally as L Devine, is an English singer and songwriter. After signing a recording contract with Warner Records, she released her debut extended play (EP) Growing Pains (2017). This was followed by the release of two further EPs, Peer Pressure (2018) and Near Life Experience: Part 1 (2021). After parting from Warner, she became an independent artist and released her debut studio album, Digital Heartifacts, in 2024.
Isaac Sakima, known professionally as Sakima, is an English singer-songwriter and producer.
Thank U, Next is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records, six months after her fourth studio album Sweetener (2018), which was conceived in the midst of Grande's personal struggles, including the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and the end of her engagement to Pete Davidson.
Sucker Punch is the debut studio album by Norwegian singer Sigrid, released on 8 March 2019 through Island Records. It follows the release of Sigrid's 2018 EP Raw. None of the songs featured on Raw were included on the album; however, two were included from Sigrid's debut EP Don't Kill My Vibe (2017). Sigrid enlisted collaborators Martin Sjølie, Odd Martin Skålnes, Oscar Holter, Askjell Solstrand, Patrik Berger, and Martin Stilling for the album's production. The result was a pop, electropop, and synth-pop record described by music critics as exploring both mainstream and indie pop musical styles.
"Don't Feel Like Crying" is a song by Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid, recorded for her debut studio album, Sucker Punch (2019). It was released on 17 January 2019 as the record's fourth single. A pop break-up anthem, its lyrics discuss moving through a breakup positively and postponing heartbreak. The track received positive reviews from music critics for its encouraging message. Sigrid performed "Don't Feel Like Crying" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Crying on the Bathroom Floor is the eighth studio album by British singer Will Young. It was released on 6 August 2021 through Cooking Vinyl. An album of cover versions of songs by female artists, it includes the singles "Daniel", "Elizabeth Taylor" and the title track "Crying on the Bathroom Floor".
Cape God is the second studio album by Canadian singer Allie X. It was released on February 21, 2020 by Twin Music and distributed by AWAL. The release followed her extended play Super Sunset (2018). The album was primarily written by Allie X and James Alan Ghaleb, and produced by Oscar Görres. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.
"Man's World" is a song recorded, written, and produced by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina for her fifth studio album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (2021). The song was also produced by American musician Jennifer Decilveo, who Marina enlisted as part of her effort to work with an all-female production team. It was released as the album's lead single on 18 November 2020 by Atlantic Records. A stripped-down version of the song was made available the next month. Atlantic commissioned two remixes of the song, which were produced by Muna and Empress Of featuring Pabllo Vittar, and released in 2021. "Man's World" is a midtempo alternative pop track with a piano-driven beat and a dreamy sound. Its lyrics criticize history's oppressive treatment of women and minority groups, and Marina states that she no longer wishes to live in a world exclusively led by men.
Muna is the third studio album by American indie pop band Muna, released on June 24, 2022. It is their first album as an independent artist, after they signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records imprint in 2021. It was promoted with the singles "Silk Chiffon", "Anything but Me", "Kind of Girl", "Home by Now" and "What I Want". The album was met with critical acclaim upon release and became the band's first-charting album on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart.
MUNA's debut album, 2017's About U, was an unequivocal success, a brightly lit collection of rhythmic pop songs that garnered critical acclaim
The album secured them acclaim