RÜFÜS DU SOL have continued their stunning rollout of immersive, groundbreaking content, with the release of the official video for recent single “Alive”.
Originally sharing the single back in mid-July, the group’s first new music in three years had a deeply personal lean to it, with lead singer Tyrone Lindqvist showing a state of pure, unguarded emotion as his relatable lyrics adorn a typically-luscious, synth-heavy instrumental from the rest of the group
“It’s a heavier song in some ways, but at its core it’s hopeful,” Lindqvist explained. “We are – all of us – living in this transitional moment right now and we wanted to focus on the hope that the future holds for us all. To focus on the light at the end of this tunnel.”
Now, RÜFÜS DU SOL have pushed boundaries once again, this time teaming up with renowned director James Frost for the official video for the track.
Frost, known for his work on videos such as Radiohead’s “House of Cards” and OK Go’s “This Too Shall Pass”, constructed the clip solely using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, taking the viewer on a first-person journey across speeding landscapes. At times feeling like something of a nature documentary, its pairing with the audio provides an almost grounding sense of calm as the footage complements the group’s iconic sound in an almost otherworldly way.
“When I first started discussing the video with the guys several months ago, the recurring idea was this concept of ‘analog vs. digital’ and this sense of freedom,” explains Frost. “When I was sent the track, I immediately understood why; the song had this energy that was sheer momentum, and visually it spoke to me on this level.
“As a result, I wanted to create something where we sensed we were utterly free from restraint. In light of what the World has just gone through the last 18 months, it almost felt like the need to create a visceral piece of work. Obviously, it would not have been possible to travel the World shooting remote landscapes, and I really wanted to find a way to explore the digital side. That’s where Unreal Engine came in.
“I was aware of Unreal and the work done on several high-profile TV series as environmental plates,” he adds. “Still, I thought, what if we were actually in the environment instead of secondary to the scene. What if the environment is so photoreal that it pulls the viewer into believing they are traveling through these incredible landscapes. Then, to suddenly reveal it as a digital asset. What would that World look like?”
RÜFÜS DU SOL most recently released new music by way of last month’s “Next to Me”, which was also paired with an intriguing video – utilising A.I. technology to craft the breathtaking visual.
RÜFÜS DU SOL’s “Alive” is out now.
