Video: MUNA, ‘Anything But Me’

Kevin Bronson on March 15th, 2022

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If you’re MUNA, how do you follow up “Silk Chiffon,” a single that ascended the heights of many “best-of-2021” lists?

You wait until the time is right — like the week of the South by Southwest Music Festival, maybe — and announce a new album.

That’s what happened today. The L.A. trio of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin will release their third album, a self-titled affair, on June 24 via Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records. “Silk Chiffon,” which featured the label boss herself contributing vocals, is the first track on the album, and “Anything But Me,” out today, is the second single.

Besides having a funny putdown as the first verse, it’s an empowering tune about being bold enough to call it quits. “‘Anything But Me’ is a song about leaving a partnership simply because it doesn’t feel right,” the band says. “It’s about trusting yourself and your instincts enough to walk away from someone while you still have love for each other and before it gets too bad.

“The video for the song [directed by Ally Pankiw] plays with the idea that we’ve been our own captors in relationships, keeping ourselves in unhealthy dynamics, maybe because that’s what feels familiar. The song embodies the lightness and a playfulness that floods in when you realize that there’s no lock on the door, no one’s holding you back — you can untie the knot and skip into the sunset whenever you’re ready.”

||| Watch: The video for “Anything But Me”