Katseye said pinkies up and delivered. On Thursday (April 9), the group released their new single “Pinky Up” via Geffen Records and HYBE, just 24 hours before their highly anticipated Coachella debut. The hyperpop banger is exactly what fans have come to expect from the group: chaotic, confident, and impossible to get out of your head.
The song opens with Daniela Avanzini and Megan Skiendiel kicking off the first chorus at full throttle: “One day, soon, the world’s gonna end / I’m gonna make out with my new bestest friends / I wanna live large, right before it all burns down / Up, up, pinky up / Go hard like we’re robbin’ the Louvre / We Mona Lisa with a cute attitude.” It’s the sonic equivalent of deciding the apocalypse is actually a reason to party, which is very much the Katseye energy. The song builds into a “screaming from cloud nine” refrain before careening into a Vengaboys-esque dance break at the end, because of course it does.
The music video, directed by Bardia Zeinali (Kacey Musgraves, Troye Sivan), is pure visual chaos in the best way. The five members, Yoonchae Jeung, Sophia Laforteza, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, and Megan Skiendiel, move through a world packed with stuffed animals, claw machines, and glittery outfits, including knee-high boots for a minibike burn-out in an office and patterned mini skirts for a sweaty dance party. Near the end, they slip into matching shaggy blonde wigs and sip tea with pinkies raised in a bland hotel ballroom while wearing clear white smocks over glittery blue bodysuits. It is a lot, and it is perfect.
The rollout itself was a masterclass in fan engagement. On March 30, a teaser showed the Mona Lisa raising a steaming cup of tea with her pinky extended. The next day, a claw machine video revealed the release date by pulling a sword out of a pile of jewel-encrusted stuffed animals. Both images appear in the final video. “Pinky Up” was written by Justin Tranter, whose credits include Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, and produced by dwilly, “Hitman” bang, and FRANTS.
The song is also the group’s first release without Manon Bannerman, who has been on hiatus since February 20. In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Sophia addressed Manon’s absence directly. “She’s doing well and she is rooting for all of us,” she said. Lara added: “She’s our sister forever. Like we love her so much and we built this together. So we just want to give her all the space and love she needs right now.”
