Watch Father John Misty Examine Gun Obsession in Somber New Video
Father John Misty explores how prejudice breeds violence in his chilling video for “Two Wildly Different Perspectives,” a newly released song from his upcoming third LP, Pure Comedy. The clip, directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin, contrasts the innocent with the macabre, incorporating footage of gunfire, first-person shooter video games and kids playing with toy guns.
In a statement accompanying the video, Misty (A.K.A. Josh Tillman) seemingly criticized the Trump administration’s recent immigration ban, saying, “More kids are going to die now thanks to the unbelievably selfish immigration policy of places like Saudi Arabia and the USA.”
On “Perspectives,” Tillman croons politically themed lyrics over lush strings, somber piano and bursts of jazzy drums. “One side says, ‘Y’all go to hell’/ The other says, ‘If I believed in God, I’d send you there,'” he sings. “Either way, we make some space/ in the hell that we create on both sides.”
Last week, Tillman announced the album and released its grandiose title track, an orchestral ballad that rails against religious and political hypocrisy. In addition to the song’s surreal, Trump-referencing video, he also issued a bizarre, 25-minute short film that functions as part making-of documentary, part surrealist art piece.
Pure Comedy, which follows 2015’s I Love You, Honeybear, is out April 7th. The record features arrangements from composer Gavin Bryars and contributions from Thomas Bartlett and Nico Muhly.