The emo/post-hardcore supergroup L.S. Dunes recently teased a music video for their new single “Old Wounds” by sharing a 10-second snippet online. The clip was generated by the AI platform @IAMMETHISISI, and which set off a less-than-positive reaction in some corners of the internet, as people criticized the use of software that pulls from existing work in place of employing a human artist to create something truly original. Now L.S. Dunes have shared a statement defending their use of generative AI.

Here’s what the band had to say about it:

Upon posting a 10 second clip of our upcoming video for OLD WOUNDS made by generative art creator, @IAMMETHISISI, we noticed there was some chatter on social media and that it might be a good idea for us to clear some things up.

L.S. Dunes and its collective members have been longtime supporters and advocates of artists of all kinds. Over the years we have commissioned art pieces from well-known professional artists, unknown semi-professional artists, and fans of the band just starting out and creating things for fun. We have searched out these talented artists that inspire us from all walks of life and worked with them in a multitude of different ways showcasing their work on as large a platform as we could provide. When we saw the images created by @IAMMETHISISI we knew immediately this was the artist we wanted to work with to make the visual accompaniment for our latest original song, OLD WOUNDS.

OLD WOUNDS, at its core, is a song about intent, and what role it plays in the perception of good and evil. The conversation surrounding generative art draws a parallel to that in many ways. It’s clear that our vision for this particular video has sparked a dialogue of opposing views and got people thinking, and talking, and feeling without even seeing the entire video. Isn’t that what art should do?

We feel the video created by @IAMMETHISISI encompasses that perfectly, and based on the initial comments from just a 10 second clip, it seems to have hit this concept directly on the head.

Love it or hate it the choice is yours, as it should be. We know we aren’t going to please everyone all the time.
Kindness and continued thoughtful creation are all that we can promise.
xo L.S.Dunes

We can debate about whether this is an example of art accomplishing its purpose, but it’s indebatably ramped up the attention surrounding the “Old Wounds” video.