Yesterday, indie-pop trio MUNA returned with “Anything But Me,” the second single off their upcoming self-titled third album. The song follows the TikTok-fueled hit “Silk Chiffon,” which features their Saddest Factory Records boss and fellow singer-songwriter, Phoebe Bridgers.
Written by all three MUNA members (lead singer Kate Gavin and guitarists Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson), “Anything But Me” is about stepping away from a relationship as soon as it stops serving you. “Breaking up is hard to do,” the band explained a press release. “In the past we’ve stayed in relationships for a long time, waiting until we hit low lows to admit it was over. ‘Anything But Me’ is a song about leaving a partnership simply because it doesn’t feel right. It’s about trusting yourself and your instincts enough to walk away from someone while you still have love for each other and before it gets too bad.”
On the opening verse, Gavin predicts how her partner will react to her walking away. It involves a lot of blaming the relationship’s dissolution on her. Gavin knows just how to respond to such comments, though.
You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse
I think that my horse is regular-sized
Did you ever think, maybe, you’re on a pony
Going in circles on a carousel ride?
Despite the toxic energy described on the first verse, she still hopes her ex gets everything they want and need on the chorus—as long as “everything” doesn’t include her.
Well, I hope you get everything you need
Everything but me
’Cause I don’t wanna stick around trying to work it out
When everything feels wrong
On the second verse, Gavin is prepared to take all the guilt her ex is inevitably going to throw at her. She’s confident she’ll stand her ground.
Say I always had one foot out
Well, baby, I got two now
Good thing I’ve never been afraid of goodbye
On the bridge, Gavin’s tough exterior cracks just a little.
Sure, I’m gonna cry
For the love we couldn’t keep
But even at her most vulnerable, she knows she made the right decision.
But I would rather lose you
Than who I’m meant to be
“Anything But Me” arrived alongside an Ally Pankiw-directed music video. MUNA says the dance-filled clip “plays with the idea that we’ve been our own captors in relationships, keeping ourselves in unhealthy dynamics, maybe because that’s what feels familiar.”
You can read all the lyrics to “Anything But Me” on Genius now.
