The video is a rich, dreamy homage to the gritty, neon Los Angeles, first coined around the 80s in thrillers like To Live And Die In LA and Lethal Weapon. Across four minutes, MUNA insert themselves into this manufactured, technicoloured Hollywood, coyly playing with period tropes and touching glittering cultural references.
The trio, made up of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, are suited up in padded blazers, masculine silhouettes topped with black shades and gel-slicked hair. Their uniform plays almost as a tribute to synthpop greats, like Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode, whose influence also shimmers musically. Elsewhere, the three slip into other roles, from ruby acrylic-nailed mechanics to a goofily headbopping road trip trio.
Though at times the band sings with a nonchalant detachment, exaggerating the surrounding, kitsch LA chaos, unravelled by gaudily costumed extras and cult-favourite cameos from the city's stand-up scene. Under illuminated, VHS-softened lights, MUNA narrativise a Los Angeles where you can watch Kate Berlant fumble for a dropped phone, and Hannah Einbinder berate a comedically glitter-pink-clad Chris Fleming.
The video ends in a medium-classic photobooth montage. A scarlet curtain serves as a backdrop while the densely tributary aestheticism dissipates into snapshot displays of the group's very bond that makes even their most artfully ambitious moves appear effortless.
Evie Johnson
Image: 'Dancing On The Wall' Official Album Cover