MUNA discuss the “creative freedom” given to them on Phoebe Bridgers’ label
MUNA have discussed the “creative freedom” they experience being signed to Phoebe Bridgers‘ label Saddest Factory.
The three-piece band are on the cover of NME today (November 25) on the back of their recent self-titled album.
After releasing two LPs – 2017 debut ‘About U’ and 2019’s ‘Saves The World’ – on major label RCA, the trio signed to Saddest Factory, an imprint of the Dead Oceans label, who Bridgers is signed to, for their third album.
Revealing that they were dropped by RCA for “not making enough money,” MUNA told NME that it’s “easier in certain ways” to work with an independent label, and that they have a “lot of creative freedom”.
Guitarist Naomi McPherson added: “It’s hard to compare [the two labels] because we’ve had such anomalous experiences at both labels, to be honest. At our old label, no one was creatively stifling us or telling us what kind of music we should make. And our departure from that label wasn’t really even contentious.
“You’re more likely to find people who you align with in terms of taste. You’re maybe less likely to find those people in a more, like, large corporate structure. That’s not to say those [major label] people don’t care about art, but they just might not have the same taste.”
Of working with Bridgers, vocalist Katie Gavin added: “I mean, she’s our A&R person. We would send her songs and she would usually say which ones she was excited about.”
Gavin went on to explain how she asked Bridgers during the creation of the album why she hadn’t given the band any “critical feedback”. Bridgers’ response: “Well, if I had critical feedback, I would have given you it, but I just didn’t.”
“It’s funny,” Gavin added, “because I do think you can tell that we come from a major label background, because we almost are like, ‘Where’s the bad thoughts?’ We’re hyper-critical and have this desire for things to be as good as they can be.”
MUNA’s self-titled album came out via Saddest Factory in June of this year. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “By now, it should be clear that this lot know how to pen a whopper of a pop anthem – that remains apparent here – but more crucially ‘MUNA’ also serves as solid evidence of a band with many more chapters of evolution up their sleeves yet.”
Next summer, MUNA will support Taylor Swift on her huge ‘Eras Tour’ of North American stadiums. Earlier this year, they covered Swift’s song ‘August’ on a new live EP from Electric Lady Studios.
Before that, the band will play Australian and New Zealand dates with Lorde as the latter’s tour behind 2021 album ‘Solar Power’ wraps up.
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Will Richards
NME
