Father John Misty’s Pure Comedy was one of the most interesting, self-aware albums to be released in 2017, one that earned Joshua Tillman the title of “self-important a**hole,” courtesy of Ryan Adams. As the year comes to an end, Tillman has released a sparse, but moving clip for the album’s epic 13-minute centerpiece “Leaving LA.” After the manic, dystopian video for the record’s title track, the “Leaving LA” video is a welcome return to basics, featuring Tillman performing the track in the studio on an acoustic guitar, before the addition of strings composed by Gavin Bryars the help round out the sound.
All in all, the simple black-and-white video is a fitting visual for a track that sums up all of the record’s themes of the two-faced nature of mainstream culture, with a decidedly small color palette that accentuates one of its standout lines, “another white guy in 2017 who takes himself so goddamn seriously.” Check out the video, shot and edited by Grant James, above.
Rumor has it that Father John Misty is already preparing to release a new album in 2018, and if the song titles are any indication, it’s going to be a wild ride. Pure Comedy is out now on Sub Pop Records.
