MUNA Shares One-Shot Video for “Kind of Girl,” a Self-Identity Anthem of Empowerment; New Album 6/24

MUNA is riding a wave of momentum right now, and on June 24 the indie/pop band will release its new self-titled album on Saddest Factory Records, an imprint of the Dead Oceans label that was founded by Phoebe Bridgers in 2020.

On Thursday, the group shared another song from the album as a preview, and “Kind of Girl” touches on something important: self-identity, and the vulnerability that so often goes along with it.

The song’s video, directed by Taylor James, depicts the trio — Katie Gavin (she/they), Naomi McPherson (they/them), and Josette Maskin (she/they) — on a farm in cowboy outfits and fake facial hair, effectively subverting the concept of “gender roles,” which is also something the musicians feel very strongly about (more on that in a bit):

Said Gavin of the song and video:

“This song is the album’s country moment, and in some ways we feel it is the heart of the record. This song explores the power of language and the words we use to describe who we are and who we want to be. Even though it is a happy, hopeful song, I shed the most tears of the record in the vocal booth recording this chorus. I think there’s something very vulnerable about plainly expressing my desire to be kinder to myself and comfortable receiving love (and my desire to garden even though I kill everything I plant).”

kind of girl is out now. this is a song about accepting yourself as you are and admitting that you still want to grow and change. we hope you love the track—and this amazing one shot video directed by taylor james—as much as we do. https://t.co/oYICLyQcwo pic.twitter.com/whuAQc0xuV

— MUNA (@whereisMUNA) April 28, 2022

“The video for this song highlights another layer of meaning that we feel the song holds, which is that we as queer people are particularly vulnerable when we are sharing how we identify and how we would like to be perceived. We wanted to play with the gendered nature of this song because we all three have different relationships to girlhood (and Naomi is non-binary, so not a girl at all!). It was a gift to be able to king for this video in a way that felt earnest and comfortable and hot. The experience brought home the fact that it’s not enough for queer and trans people to be clear about who we are – we also need a community around us that hears us, believes us, honors us, and supports us. We’re very proud of what we made and grateful to everyone who was a part of it. We hope the bigots absolutely hate it.”

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“Kind of Girl” is the latest in a series of confident anthems from MUNA’s new record. “Anything But Me,” shared a few weeks back, calls to mind pop/rock groups like HAIM and Wilson Phillips with its vocal harmonies:

MUNA’s new album kicks off with “Silk Chiffon,” the infectious, ’90s-leaning slide of indie/pop gold that the band released in September with Bridgers and quickly attained reverent status as a “queer anthem”:

Stay tuned for more from the record and catch MUNA on its anticipated tour later this year:

May 10 – London, UK – The Garage (SOLD OUT)

May 12 – Brighton, UK – The Great Escape Festival

June 5 – West Hollywood, CA – OUTLOUD Raising Voices Music Festival at WeHo Pride

July 29 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza

July 30 – Cleveland, OH – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

August 2 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall

August 3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theater

August 5- Louisville, KY – Headliners

August 6 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall

August 7 – St Charles, IA – Hinterland Music Festival

August 8 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave (UPSIZED FROM FINE LINE DUE TO DEMAND)

August 11 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory

August 12 – Seattle, WA – Day In Day Out Festival

August 13 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

August 15 – San Diego, CA – Observatory Northpark

September 18 – Boston, MA – Royale (2nd SHOW ADDED – SOLD OUT)

September 19 – Boston, MA – Royale (SOLD OUT)

September 20 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT)

September 23 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works

September 24 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Heaven

September 26 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club (2nd SHOW ADDED – SOLD OUT)

September 27 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theater (SOLD OUT)

September 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore (UPSIZED FROM THE FOUNDRY DUE TO DEMAND)

September 30 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza (SOLD OUT)

October 1 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza (2nd SHOW ADDED – SOLD OUT)

October 2 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza (3rd SHOW ADDED – SOLD OUT)

October 4 – Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theater

October 6 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman

October 10 – Houston, TX – House of Blues

October 11 – Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall

October 16 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theater

October 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot

October 19 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren

October 23 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (SOLD OUT)

October 24 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (2nd SHOW ADDED)

October 25 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern (SOLD OUT)

October 26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern (2nd SHOW ADDED)