Stef Chura, “Slow Motion”

Post Author: Liz Pelly
stef chura video

The first time they hung out, Molly Soda was dying Stef Chura’s armpit hair pink. A few months later they would become roommates, when Stef moved into Molly’s unfinished attic. They both live in Detroit. Stef is a songwriter, whose Bandcamp is full of dim-lit guitar-pop with moody, twisting vocals that she’s been releasing since 2010. Molly is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work spans videos, GIFs, zines, and all sorts of digital performance.  The video for “Slow Motion” is a collaboration between the two. The song comes from Stef’s forthcoming full-length, recorded by Fred Thomas, who also plays bass on the song.  

“Molly and I were at a show at the UFO Factory in Detroit went we thought of the idea to shoot basically a ‘party’ in the bathroom,” Stef explains. “The girls bathroom there is very photogenic and pink with a huge cloud painted on the ceiling by local artist Davin Brainard. And also it is a pretty notorious place for bathroom selfies that are posted on Instagram #ufobathroom #ufopeople #ufofactory.” Bringing to life a space known famously for selfies is an apt experiment for Soda, whose art riffs on self-identity and the internet. The clip shows Stef sitting on the ground with her huge teddy bear, blowing up balloons and setting up party snacks on the toilet. Once the party guests arrive it gets psychedelic and hazy. Stef and her teddy bear both look kind of bored, but everyone pushes them to have fun. “And right when it starts to feel like home / it’s time to go,” Stef sings on the cut.