Having won over multiple hearts with the release of their excellent self-titled album last year, MUNA are keeping that momentum going and making us fall harder with their latest single “One That Got Away.” Bang in the middle of supporting Taylor Swift on her Eras stadium tour while beginning their own sold-out headline run, the trio, consisting of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, are at the top of their game but it doesn’t stop there. Performing at Coachella for the first time this weekend, the dessert saw the band play an electric set, including the debut of their new disco-pop banger following its worldwide premier as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record In The World.
With their ability to make you feel like those heart-wrenching experiences will immediately be okay, “One That Got Away” only strengthens the American indie-pop band’s discography. Sung from the perspective of a dissatisfied lover who is done waiting around for someone else to act on their feelings, the infectious production of the track provides endless danceable beats despite its lyrical content. “If you never put it on the line / How am I gonna sign for it?” Gavin questions, openly sharing something that everyone’s thought about at least once in their lives. “You never let me know what you want.”
In proclaiming that she’s going to be the one who got away, the indie-pop break-up banger serves as a self-love anthem for everyone to scream out loud. “This song is just rubbing your hot ass in the face of someone who messed up their chance of being with you,” says lead singer Katie Gavin in a press release. “It’s a bit vengeful and mean, but also fun,” she continues. “Once I sent Naomi and Jo the demo they really took the cockiness in the lyric and vocal performance and carried it to the extreme with the production of the track. It became this super bombastic, Janet Jackson-era track.”
Directed by Ally Pankiw and Taylor James, the accompanying cinematic visuals, which star Australian actress Caitlin Stasey, compliments that energy as it finds the trio embroiled in an underground mob world, serving swift justice when the grimy-looking gangsters get fresh with the hostess. Speaking of the video, crediting the two directors, Gavin adds: “[They] came up with the idea of putting the music video in a criminal underworld, which we thought fit perfectly. Plus we wanted an excuse to dress Jo up like The Bear.”
Though “One That Got Away” isn’t leading to their fourth album anytime soon, something that McPherson confirmed over on Instagram, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the track in all its glory. While some musicians hit a plateau after pushing out a couple of records, MUNA have only shown growth and consistency and shows no signs of slowing down. With a jam-packed summer of touring ahead of them – we’re talking several dates left opening for Taylor Swift, supporting Phoebe Bridgers’ supergroup boygenius at their outdoor shows in London and Dublin this August as well as making multiple festival appearances (Edinburgh’s Connect Festival and Leeds & Reading Festival) – MUNA are gearing up for bigger and better things.