Photo: Daryl Henderson

On downtempo trio Una’s beautiful new single “The Astronomer,” they’re certainly looking to the stars for inspiration — but it goes much deeper than that. “[The song] is a question, a man who looks through his own unique lens in life,” says vocalist Jennifer Cook about the subject matter. “The thought was inspired by a painting by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer in 1668. The subject is about those similar to Galileo, his discovery and how it was regarded by authorities.”

The song was actually composed for a Donny Hathaway tribute compilation that never reached completion, but thankfully Una decided against abandoning this airy ode. “We felt about how lonely Galileo must have felt when his grand vision was repulsed,” she says. “We want to reach out to people like that, who see a major contribution for mankind, but are in despair and marginalized.”

Una’s new EP, The Laughing Man, is due out March 5. Stream “The Astronomer” below: