“Anything But Me” by MUNA, Wednesday, October 25, 2023

In 2020, MUNA was dropped by their label RCA for “not making enough money.” The queer-identifying trio had modest success with their first two records,  About U and Saves the World, but they would actually achieve a higher level of success on an indie label. The key to this renewed success was partnering with an indie rock darling who had come to be known as a “serial collaborator” due to appearing on a range of projects from Paul McCartney to Taylor Swift. Phoebe Bridgers signed MUNA to her label Saddest Factory and functioned as the trio’s A&R person. MUNA quickly expanded their listener base with the hit featuring Bridgers, “Silk Chiffon.” The song preceded  MUNA’s eponymous album by more than nine months and became the band’s most-streamed song. In March of 2022, MUNA released the second single from the album, “Anything But Me.”

YOU’RE GONNA SAY I ASKED FOR THE MOON. While MUNA is certainly overshadowed by Phoebe Bridgers and her own trio, boygenius, touring with Bridgers helped MUNA gain recognition. The band opened for Kacey Musgraves on her star-crossed tour in 2021-2022 and opened for Lorde on the Australian leg of her Solar Power tour. The band recounts hearing the crowd sing along to “Silk Chiffon” on the star-crossed tour in a Rolling Stone article. The band performed their first set at Coachella and had an opening spot on maybe the biggest tour of all time, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Musically, though, MUNA has yet to match their biggest hit, the lead single from MUNA. “Silk Chiffon” fits the role of the positive song on an otherwise dark record. However, MUNA is far more positive than its predecessors. Today’s song, “Anything But Me,” isn’t about crippling depression like a similar track on Saves the World, “Stayaway.” Both songs are about a breakup, but “Anything But Me” feels like an amount of healthy processing has occurred. Whether the friendship stated in “Anything But Me” is genuine or not, the sentiment of wishing an ex the best feels sincere. 

I’M GONNA CRY FOR THE LOVE WE COULDN’T KEEP. The music video for “Anything But Me” depicts the members of MUNA in various restraints in every scene. I personally find the video uncomfortable to watch, especially compared to the song’s bright ‘90s acoustic alternative rock tone. The imagery seems to be a clear representation of a suffocating relationship. When lead singer Katie Gavin sings the bridge: “I’d rather lose you than who I’m meant to be” the message of the song is cemented. No relationship is worth the cost of losing who you are. This painful clarity may take a lot of time, especially in queer relationships when friendship, sex, and love can be blurred. In MUNA Gavin has talked about being in a band with her ex both in interviews and in the closing track of Saves the World, “It’s Gonna Be Okay, Baby.” Gavin broke up with bandmate Naomi McPherson before signing with RCA Records. The tension in MUNA’s songwriting feels like it comes from a place of confusion of feelings, though perhaps not from the Gavin-McPherson relationship. We don’t know what this song is really about, but we do know that it’s about cutting out the toxicity in your life. After all, it’s not worth being strangled!

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Live on Ellen:

 

Read “Anything But Me” by MUNA on Genius.