Last Friday, the band Muna released their first new album after their label, RCA, dropped the band during the pandemic. The pop trio of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin were picked up by Saddest Factory Records.
Their new label company isn’t the only new thing about Muna. The new album also marks a shift in Muna’s genre. “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.’”
Muna’s “Silk Chiffon,” which features Phoebe Bridgers, has become a viral hit on popular social media apps like TikTok, where it soundtracks baking tutorials, hangovers, and odes. With “Silk Chiffon”’s success, Muna was catapulted into the spotlight and can bring its songs to a much wider audience.
While Muna are now viral artists, it isn’t always easy for the band. “Recording can be stressful. “I would record all my vocals alone in a closet if I could,” Gavin said, after the band revealed that they had to redo the song “Solid” five or six times.
But Muna has learned to support each other and not overstress about the music. After RCA dropped Muna, they quickly bounced back and returned to making music after renting a friend’s basement to use as a studio. There, they produced the viral song “Silk Chiffon.”
While Muna may now have a much larger audience, Gavin says that the band doesn’t want to forget its past. “I don’t want this era to be, ‘Oh, we used to be one way, and now we’re another way, and everything’s great now. We are who we are, but it’s the compassion we have for ourselves, the awareness we have.”
Gavin expressed that while it’s great to have big moments, “the bigger feat is having these friendships with each other.”
Link to Article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/arts/music/muna-band-interview.html
Their new label company isn’t the only new thing about Muna. The new album also marks a shift in Muna’s genre. “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.’”
Muna’s “Silk Chiffon,” which features Phoebe Bridgers, has become a viral hit on popular social media apps like TikTok, where it soundtracks baking tutorials, hangovers, and odes. With “Silk Chiffon”’s success, Muna was catapulted into the spotlight and can bring its songs to a much wider audience.
While Muna are now viral artists, it isn’t always easy for the band. “Recording can be stressful. “I would record all my vocals alone in a closet if I could,” Gavin said, after the band revealed that they had to redo the song “Solid” five or six times.
But Muna has learned to support each other and not overstress about the music. After RCA dropped Muna, they quickly bounced back and returned to making music after renting a friend’s basement to use as a studio. There, they produced the viral song “Silk Chiffon.”
While Muna may now have a much larger audience, Gavin says that the band doesn’t want to forget its past. “I don’t want this era to be, ‘Oh, we used to be one way, and now we’re another way, and everything’s great now. We are who we are, but it’s the compassion we have for ourselves, the awareness we have.”
Gavin expressed that while it’s great to have big moments, “the bigger feat is having these friendships with each other.”
Link to Article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/arts/music/muna-band-interview.html
