Synopsis

Middle Class Rut travel through Alaska in a loose, dreamlike journey shaped by the isolation and beauty of the landscape. The video follows the duo through misty port towns, forests, railroad tracks, tunnels, shorelines and mountain roads, mixing hitchhiking and wandering with striking shots of the surrounding wilderness. A boat trip, a passing train, a campfire, a local resident and a performance by Cupiit Yurartet drummers and dancers add human moments to the otherwise solitary trek. The result mirrors "Dead Eye"'s meditation on fear, mortality and appreciating the present.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was shot on location in Alaska in October 2013 and was made in a guerrilla-style production.

• The concept was intentionally loose: the band imagined traveling across Alaska between shows or jobs, without defining where the journey began or ended.

• Much of the filming took place in and around Whittier, including its train yard, a long one-lane tunnel and a waterfall area. Other locations included Prince William Sound, the Seward Highway and a moss-covered forest near Girdwood.

• A boat trip in Prince William Sound coincided with a humpback whale sighting, but the shoot also faced 30-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain. During the filming, the director of photography slipped and nearly fell into the water while holding the camera.

• The train sequence was captured when an actual train unexpectedly approached while the band members were near the tracks. They moved close to it for the shot and were later questioned by highway patrol, who told them they could cross the tracks but could not walk along them.

• The Cupiit Yurartet Drummers and Dancers appear in the video, bringing a communal and ceremonial energy to the otherwise solitary travel imagery.

• Sean Stockham described the song as dealing with fear, death and loneliness, while also encouraging an acceptance of reality and a stronger appreciation of being alive.

• "Dead Eye" appears on Middle Class Rut's 2013 album "Pick Up Your Head." The official video was published in November 2013.

• The band also released a lyric video before the Alaska clip. That earlier version was created and edited by Zack Lopez.