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Watch: Future Islands Shares Its Conceptually Literal Video For 'Ran'

The new video for the thumping and fantastically infectious Future Islands song "Ran," from the band's forthcoming The Far Fields, opens in a nondescript practice room, the band playing characteristically straight-faced, staring at their instruments, showing no emotion. As they begin to play, the camera slowly pans the room, teasing the assumption that we're about to see frontman Samuel Herring and one of his unforgettable performances. But before Herring can sing a word, he bolts out the front door like he's fleeing a burning building.

For much of the video, Herring sprints across the countryside, through a woods and down a lonesome highway. So, yeah, they took this song's title pretty literally in this video treatment — but it also captures the urgency and restlessness of Herring's words of desperation and a broken heart. "I can't take it, I can't take this world without you," he sings on the chorus. "I can't take it, I can't take it on my own."

The video was directed by Albert Berney. "Ran" is from Future Islands' upcoming full-length The Far Fields, due out April 7 on 4AD.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.