Stephen Malkmus Launches Instagram Filter, Drops New Song ‘Shadowbanned’
Stephen Malkmus has continued his very online presence by unveiling “Being Stephen Malkmus,” an Instagram filter of his face. It’s also featured in the video for “Shadowbanned,” the new single from his upcoming album Traditional Techniques, out March 6th.
Directed by Jan Lankisch, the clip features the filter on many of Malkmus’ friends: Kim Gordon, Mac DeMarco, Jason Schwartzman, Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Conor Oberst and others.
“Sky on Reddit Kharma fly /over Amazon wheatfields and rivers of Red Bull,” Malkmus sings over a rabab. “Drip gush drip/ data-driven skip /to the part where the left bros parody TED talks.”
“The video was inspired by reading about female singers and musicians who were photoshopped from their album covers by an Iranian music streaming site,” Lankisch said in a statement. Lankisch and Janosch Pugnaghi created the Instagram filter, which can be accessed by face detection.
Traditional Techniques is Malkmus’ third solo LP sans the Jicks or Pavement, after 2019’s Groove Denied. “Shadowbanned” follows the songs “Xian Man” and “Brainwashed,” the latter accompanied by a video of Malkmus performing on an acoustic guitar at La Fontaine de Belleville in Paris.
Malkmus will go on an extensive tour in support of the album, kicking off in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 31st. He’ll hit major North American cities, including New York’s Webster Hall on April 13th and the Fillmore in San Francisco on June 30th. He’ll wrap up in Denver, Colorado, on July 11th.
In between the tour, Pavement will reunite for a pair of shows at the 2020 Primavera Sound festivals, marking the indie band’s first performances together in a decade.
Wow this debate is actually entertaining
— Stephen malkmus (@dronecoma) February 20, 2020