Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto

What this video is

Released April 9, 2020 — three weeks into the first US COVID-19 lockdown — the 'Kyoto' video became an inadvertent document of pandemic-era creative adaptation. A location shoot in Japan was abandoned when touring dates were cancelled, and the green-screen substitute became emblematic of how independent artists navigated production shutdowns. The lo-fi composite aesthetic resonated widely, generating millions of…

Why it matters

The video consolidates the visual grammar of the 2020s Dead Oceans indie aesthetic: low-budget surrealism as sincerity, lo-fi craft as emotional authenticity. It demonstrates how pandemic constraints accelerated a pre-existing DIY sensibility within indie rock into a dominant visual mode. Grammy…

The director

Bosnian-Canadian filmmaker and musician based in Los Angeles. Co-wrote and co-directed feature film Memoria, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2015. Directed music videos for Phoebe Bridgers, Wallows, and Crowded House. Fronts LA rock band Kills…