Los Angeles, CA · synth-pop

MUNA

5 festivals played ↓

Life-affirming queer synth-pop — 'Silk Chiffon' joy with serious writing chops, and the best live banter in pop included.

MUNA are a Los Angeles trio of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson, who met as students at the University of Southern California and began working together in 2013. Gavin had introduced McPherson to Maskin, and the two later dated for three years before splitting up shortly after the band's first record deal.

Gavin sings and writes the lyrics; Maskin and McPherson handle guitars, production and programming, giving the group a sound rooted in bright 1980s-indebted synth-pop with strong guitar lines running through it. A self-released 2014 EP, More Perfect, brought enough attention to land deals with RCA in the US and Columbia in the UK.

After two albums for RCA, About U and Saves the World, and an opening slot on Harry Styles's tour, the band was dropped in 2020, a move RCA attributed to the group "not making enough money." MUNA signed with Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory label the following year.

The single "Silk Chiffon," featuring Bridgers, arrived in 2021 and led into a self-titled third album in 2022, followed by Dancing on the Wall in 2026. All three members are openly queer, and their songs deal frankly with relationships, identity and recovery.

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synth-pop