The fascinating journey of a silly little B-side that sat in obscurity, rarely performed, but then discovered by a streaming algorithm, turning into the band's most-played song, has hit a new milestone.

"Harness Your Hopes" got its nationally televised debut last Thursday (5/15), a whopping 26 years after its release.

Pavement's Mark Ibold (bass), Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg (guitar), Stephen Malkmus (vocals, guitar), Bob Nastanovich (percussion, vocals), and Steve West (drums) performed the once-rare nugget on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and it was perfect.

You may remember a few years ago we told you about the 1999 B-side which appeared as a CD-only bonus track of the 2008 re-issue of Brighten The Corners. In 2017 Spotify changed their algo in regard to what songs they it would recommend.

For some reason "Harness Your Hopes" was beloved by the zeroes and ones in the Spotify mainframes and began recommending it when users would ask for things, presumably, "90s hits," "grunge," or '90s alternative."

Because it was actually a good song, and a bonafide deep cut, users would add it to their playlists. And voila, Spotify had created a hit.

Until that magic day in 2017, Pavement had only performed the tune three times. The last being in 1999 at the Showbox Comedy and Supper Club in Seattle.

Then never again until 2022.

During those five glorious years between 2017 and 2022, "Harness Your Hopes" became Pavement's most popular streaming song, by a lot.

Then in 2024, the single went gold 25 years after its release. It was the first time Pavement has ever had a gold record.

Last year Beck told the LA Times that the younger generation has, indeed, adopted the group via "Harness Your Hopes."

"My daughter played me that song: 'Check out this band I found.' I’m like, 'You know this guy was in your house recording his album when you were 3.'

"It’s funny, because we’ve had this whole history of record labels deciding, 'We think this will be the hit song, so we’ll promote it and we’ll get radio to play it and people will hear it over and over again and they’ll like it.' But now, with the choice they have [with streaming], they can choose for themselves," he said.

Yes this is a big deal for the song, but Pavement have been on big time US TV shows in the past. They performed “Cut Your Hair” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1994, appeared on The Colbert Report and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon during their 2010 reunion tour, and delivered a career-spanning set on Austin City Limits on February 4, 2023.

Sports fans hear "Cut Your Hair" every day on ESPN's long-running talk show Pardon The Interruption, whose two hosts happen to be bald.

The band was on The Late Show to promote the film about them, Pavements, which hits screens across the US next month.

Oh that's nice. So we can expect Pavement to be in the middle of a US tour in June or be on the festival circuit, collecting more and more young fans who didn't know they knew them?

Yeah, no.

Frontman Malkmus will be in Europe and the UK next month with his side project The Hard Quartet. Sooooo Gen X.

Before you raise your fist at the sky, try not to be mesmerized by the video they made for "Lies (Something You Can Do)."

Then try not to laugh yourself silly as they mimic The Rolling Stones' video "Waiting on a Friend" with their own "Rio's Song."

Surely in 2050 The Hard Quartet will be the biggest thing on Bloop Bloop or whatever the way kids get music in the future.

Tickets available on The Hard Quartet's website.

The Hard Quartet 2025 UK & Euro Tour

June 2 – Porto, Portugal – Hard Club
June 3 – Lisbon, Portugal – Teatro Capitólio
June 5 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Villanos
June 6 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound
June 8 – Bologna, Italy – Locomotiv Club
June 9 – Zürich, Switzerland – Bogen F
June 11 – Bergen, Norway – Bergenfest
June 12 – Oslo, Norway – John Dee
June 14 – Berlin, Germany – Hole 44
June 15 – Dresden, Germany – Beatpol
June 16 – Hamburg, Germany – Kent Club
June 17 – Cologne, Germany – Gebäude 9
June 19 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
June 20 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
June 21 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique (AB)
June 22 – Paris, France – La Maroquinerie
June 24 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
June 25 – Glasgow, UK – St Luke’s
June 26 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
June 27 – London, UK – EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney)