Synopsis
A hypnotic found-footage collage pairs SOHN's melancholic electronic track with images of machinery, factories, transportation, workers, animals, landscapes, and other fragments of the natural world. Repeated motions and circular forms create a visual sense of systems constantly turning, while abrupt contrasts between industrial activity and organic life echo the song's themes of exhaustion, disappearance, and searching for meaning. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the video builds an associative, dreamlike montage in which humanity appears caught inside a vast mechanical and natural cycle.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video premiered through Noisey on November 6, 2012, shortly after "The Wheel" appeared as the title track of SOHN's debut EP.
- Its imagery comes from a found-footage approach, with materials credited to the Prelinger Archives. The archival sources give the clip a distinctly instructional-film and mid-century documentary texture.
- The visual concept centers on the contrast between industry and nature, making the song's repeated references to cycles, evidence, and reinvention feel broader than a simple breakup narrative.
- "The Wheel" was the inaugural release of the British independent label Aesop, issued on November 5, 2012. The track was later included on SOHN's debut album, "Tremors," in 2014.
- Before the EP arrived, the song helped establish SOHN's online profile. Contemporary coverage noted that it accumulated roughly 100,000 SoundCloud plays within a month.
- The official video should not be confused with the separate "The Wheel (4AD Session)" performance video released in 2014, which documents SOHN performing the song for the label's session series.