11 March 2026  The new video for "Play Me" by Kim Gordon transforms a familiar public space into a surreal observation zone. Directed by Barnaby Clay, the short film was released on 10 March 2026 and accompanies the title track of Gordon's third solo album Play Me, which arrives on 13 March via Matador Records. A mall under surveillanceThe video takes place in a crowded shopping mall. Surveillance-style images show Gordon moving quietly through the building while escalators, food courts and shop fronts create a restless backdrop. Many faces in the crowd appear blurred or censored, turning ordinary shoppers into anonymous silhouettes.The visual strategy gives the impression of watching security footage. Gordon passes through the mall almost anonymously, blending into the crowd while the camera follows the movement of shoppers. The setting reinforces the album's recurring themes: surveillance, algorithmic culture and what Gordon has described elsewhere as a form of technocratic control shaping daily life. A critique of passive listeningMusically, the track follows the beat-driven direction Gordon has explored in recent years. Her spoken-style vocal delivery moves over industrial rhythms and trap-influenced beats produced by Justin Raisen.The lyrics present short, almost slogan-like fragments describing curated identities and mood-based playlists. The title phrase "play me" works on two levels: it refers to the act of streaming music but also sounds like a challenge. Instead of passive background listening, the song questions how music is consumed in an era of algorithms and constant digital convenience. Part of the album's wider themesPlay Me continues ideas introduced on Gordon's 2024 album The Collective. The new record mixes industrial textures, hip-hop rhythms and spoken vocals while addressing political and technological tensions—from billionaire power to the influence of artificial intelligence on culture.Several songs expand this perspective. In the video for "Dirty Tech," directed by Moni Haworth, Gordon wanders through an abandoned corporate office, reflecting on the relationship between humans and machines. Another visual project, "Not Today," was staged as a short art-house film by Kate Mulleavy and Laura Mulleavy. With its crowded mall setting and fragmented storytelling, the "Play Me" video turns everyday consumer space into a stage for Gordon's ongoing commentary on technology, culture and power—delivered in a format somewhere between music video and short experimental film. Touring the album in EuropeFollowing the release, Gordon will take the album on tour in spring and summer 2026. European dates include festival and club performances in several cities (source kimaltheagordon.com/tour):•11 April – Rewire Festival, The Hague •12 April – Variations Festival, Nantes •14 April – London, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire •15 April – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique •17 April – Paris, Le Trianon •19 April – Berlin, Huxley's Neue Welt •20 April – Wrocław, A2 •21 April – Warsaw, Progresja ([Pitchfork][2]) The tour will continue in North America. Image: 'Music Video as Digital Media Critique. Watch Tip by Fashion.at' motif with visual effects. |