The official video for Pavement’s “Harness Your Hopes” pops with vibrant yellows and purples yet is cozy in its 80s film aesthetic. This long well-loved track from the indie rock group is now complete with its own quirky visuals to mirror its’ even more quirky lyrics. It features none other than hit series Yellowjacket’s Sophie Thatcher.
The video is a bit too wonky and fun to seriously analyze. It’s as if lead singer/guitarist Stephen Malkmus is creating a parody reminding fans to disconnect, don’t harness your hopes on one idea, group, person, belief or societal norm. “And the freaks have stormed the White House, I moved into a lighthouse…it’s so so far away,” Malkmus sings. Pale pink shower tiles turn into mini square tvs that show little glimpses of an ever-changing life and Thatcher is at the center of it all.
According to Stereogum, Thatcher, from Showtime’s very good (and very ’90s) series Yellowjackets, plays an obsessive, conspiracy-boarding Pavement fan who gets drawn into their classic music videos. It’s something about the grunge of the late 80s that’s carried so well into this modern day video. It appropriately rolls out after a recent reprise of the 1999 hit track on TikTok and Spotify.
“Harness Your Hopes” became available to the public via Pavement’s CD-only Spit On A Stranger EP in the late 90s. Who knew in 2022 it would still be a hit today? The Spit On A Stranger EP reissue is out April 8. Later this year in the fall, the group will be heading on tour in many popular North American cities, including Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre for four back to back shows, according to mxdwn.
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