NEW ERA

Indie-pop trio MUNA bring queer love anthems to Mile High with Taylor Swift

BY LAUREN HILL

When MUNA’s “Silk Chiffon” entered the world in late summer 2021, life was, in general, definitively not fun. But as we collectively prepared to enter our second pandemic-burdened winter, a pop anthem whose acoustic guitar-backed melodies float on air like the song’s namesake fabric was just what we needed.

Songwriter Katie Gavin’s luminous vocals were suddenly everywhere, and the lyrical refrain “life’s so fun” was so inescapable that it almost made you believe it. Today, there are more than 34,000 videos on TikTok posted to the song.

“It was really surreal, given the circumstances of the time,” says multiinstrumentalist Naomi McPherson. “It was just nice that people liked the song — it felt out of our hands. It was a nice re-entering into the world of music.”

At the time, the trio’s effervescent return felt more like standing on a cliff at the precipice of an uncertain future.

After the release of their 2019 LP Saves the World, MUNA was dropped by RCA Records. Without an outlet for new projects or live shows to fall back on, they were nearly ready to fall apart. But saving grace came in the form of a record deal from indie powerhouse Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory.

“The situation that we fell into with Phoebe and Saddest [Factory] made us feel quite creatively free,” says guitarist Josette Maskin. “It did feel like we were standing on the edge of a cliff, but at the same time, we were really confident in the songs we had. We were just excited about putting music out again.”

MUNA found a new self-assuredness in their partnership with Bridgers, who is featured on “Silk Chiffon” and stars in the accompanying But I’m a Cheerleader-inspired music video. The carefree strength in the song’s windswept lyrics is a common touchpoint on the band’s third self-titled album. Take the indignant “Anything But Me,” which finds Gavin bickering with an ex-lover: “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse / I think that my horse is regularsized.”

“From the beginning, I was struggling with bigger questions of how to have a sense of self-love; I was into that in the first record, and it’s dealt with a lot in the second record,” Gavin says. “The third record feels like more of an arrival.”

‘OUR FANS ARE OUR PEOPLE’

Gavin’s discovery of this new lyrical confidence came in tandem with a renewed drive to hear their own desires reflected in popular music.

MUNA’s ethos is unapologetically queer — McPherson calls the band’s aforementioned 2021 comeback single “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to” — with a growing catalog exploring the turbulent joy of sapphic romance.

“It’s always been interesting to me to try to sing about my experiences of love and intimacy in new ways I haven’t heard reflected as much in popular song as a medium,” Gavin says. “Part of that is just writing about queer love.”

In many ways, this faithful representation of queer love is the link between the band and its cult following. From concerts to Instagram comment sections, MUNA creates space for a reciprocal authenticity between themselves and listeners, where all parties can be the truest versions of themselves.

“I think it’s even beyond just sexuality or identity, I really feel like our fans are our people,” Gavin says. “We can be ourselves with them. I think it’s taken us a long time to understand that we really can.”

Following up the band’s recent stop this spring at Mission Ballroom, MUNA will return to the Front Range on July 14 and 15 in support of one of the biggest, most powerful acts in the industry: Taylor Swift. The trio joins Bridgers, girl in red and other predominantly queer artists in Swift’s rotating opening lineup on the pop icon’s Eras Tour. Gavin has faith the audience at Mile High Stadium will connect with the band’s message.

“I self-identify [as a Swiftie]; I feel like they’re really sensitive humans who have big feelings and maybe a propensity for overthinking,” Gavin says. “So they’ll probably vibe with the MUNA songs.”

They may be nearing their 10th anniversary as a band, but MUNA is just getting started; and surely nine opening dates in sold-out stadiums will introduce swaths of Swifties to MUNA’s already robust discography. But they’re approaching the Eras Tour the same way they would any other show — with their signature openness and charisma, knowing that those who are meant to fall into their orbit will do so.

“We’re not going to do things any differently than we do if we’re playing for 10 people,” Gavin says. “I mean, it’s gonna feel insane to be in a stadium, but I’m hoping that if there are people there who need to hear our message, then they take it with them.”

ON THE BILL: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour with MUNA and Gracie Abrams. 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15, Empower Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St., Denver. Sold out (resale only)