The saga of how a Pavement B-side from 1999 became their biggest “commercial” hit in the 2020s is a phenomenon that most aging Pavement fans won’t readily comprehend (I, for one, turned 39 today and celebrate the band’s entire catalog.) This piece by Nate Rogers over at Stereogum does a masterful job of explaining the mechanisms that made “Harness Your Hopes” a viral hit on the TikTok platform; perhaps the last place you’d expect to hear a Pavement song. But credit to the greatest band in the history of Stockton, California for embracing it as only they can.
The new video for “Harness Your Hopes,” features actress Sophie Thatcher from the hit show Yellowjackets, spliced in front of classic Pavement videos from days past. It’s like a visual diatribe on the internet renewal of ’90s indie rock gold. Recorded in 1997, The song initially appeared on the Spit On A Stranger EP (produced by Nigel Godrich, mind you), and Matador Records will be reissuing the EP, now with two versions of “Harness Your Hopes,” on April 28.
Watch the video for “Harness Your Hopes Above and check out Pavement’s 2022 Reunion Tour dates here. The album artwork and tracklist for the Spit On A Stranger reissue are below.
1. “Spit on a Stranger”
2. “Harness Your Hopes”
3. “Roll With the Wind”
4. “The Porpoise and the Hand Grenade”
5. “Rooftop Gambler”
6. “Harness Your Hopes” (Live Brixton Academy, 1999)
The Spit On A Stranger EP Reissue comes out on 04/08 via Matador. Pre-order it here.