Muna, an indie-pop band, was dropped by its label in early 2020. Then the band scored a TikTok hit with the song “Silk Chiffon,” featuring a verse from its new label boss: breakout star Phoebe Bridgers.
The indie-pop trio consists of members Katie Gavin, 29, Naomi McPherson, 29, and Josette Maskin, 28. They just released their third album, which is self-titled. The group played at Lollapalooza and also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before their debut album, “About U,” which came out in 2017. They then opened for Harry Styles and followed up with a 2019 LP called “Saves the World.” But the group’s label, RCA, dropped the band early into the COVID pandemic.
Muna was understandably devastated, but they went back to work. A friend of a friend rented them a studio in her basement for almost nothing, and the trio started coming in every day. The songs they worked on would become mostly pop-oriented. One of them became a viral hit.
The viral song, “Silk Chiffon,” which features Phoebe Bridgers, has made its way all over the app TikTok, soundtracking all kinds of videos.
The band got its start at the University of Southern California, where McPherson saw Gavin biking through campus and murmured to their friend, “That girl is cool.” The feeling was mutual; they bonded, and Gavin introduced McPherson to Maskin at a party.
Almost immediately, they started making music and workshopping guitar chords in between classes. Gavin sings lead vocals, plays guitar, and helps produce; Maskin (guitar) and McPherson (guitar and keys) work on the production.
The trio likes to put in what McPherson calls “princess work.” They tinker with songs for a few hours each day and quit just when a track starts to click into place. “You try to retain the magic,” Maskin said. And when the group isn’t in the recording studio, they like to hang out together — maybe watching YouTube.
Their self-titled album “Muna” is a definite shift for the band, a step further into glitzy, shimmering pop. “At RCA, we were like, ‘We’re staying true to ourselves, we’re going to make interesting, indie-pop music, we’re not here to make hits,’” McPherson said, “And then the moment we leave, we’re at an indie label and we’re like, ‘Here’s our poppiest song ever.’”
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/arts/music/muna-band-interview.html
The indie-pop trio consists of members Katie Gavin, 29, Naomi McPherson, 29, and Josette Maskin, 28. They just released their third album, which is self-titled. The group played at Lollapalooza and also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before their debut album, “About U,” which came out in 2017. They then opened for Harry Styles and followed up with a 2019 LP called “Saves the World.” But the group’s label, RCA, dropped the band early into the COVID pandemic.
Muna was understandably devastated, but they went back to work. A friend of a friend rented them a studio in her basement for almost nothing, and the trio started coming in every day. The songs they worked on would become mostly pop-oriented. One of them became a viral hit.
The viral song, “Silk Chiffon,” which features Phoebe Bridgers, has made its way all over the app TikTok, soundtracking all kinds of videos.
The band got its start at the University of Southern California, where McPherson saw Gavin biking through campus and murmured to their friend, “That girl is cool.” The feeling was mutual; they bonded, and Gavin introduced McPherson to Maskin at a party.
Almost immediately, they started making music and workshopping guitar chords in between classes. Gavin sings lead vocals, plays guitar, and helps produce; Maskin (guitar) and McPherson (guitar and keys) work on the production.
The trio likes to put in what McPherson calls “princess work.” They tinker with songs for a few hours each day and quit just when a track starts to click into place. “You try to retain the magic,” Maskin said. And when the group isn’t in the recording studio, they like to hang out together — maybe watching YouTube.
Their self-titled album “Muna” is a definite shift for the band, a step further into glitzy, shimmering pop. “At RCA, we were like, ‘We’re staying true to ourselves, we’re going to make interesting, indie-pop music, we’re not here to make hits,’” McPherson said, “And then the moment we leave, we’re at an indie label and we’re like, ‘Here’s our poppiest song ever.’”
Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/arts/music/muna-band-interview.html
