Synopsis

Alisa Xayalith moves through a surreal dreamscape where sleepwalking gives way to running, skating and flying across pine forests, snowfields, sand, and the shadowy grounds of a manor. The imagery shifts abruptly between natural landscapes and threatening figures in hoodies and ice hockey masks, creating a mood that is beautiful, disorienting, and menacing. Rather than presenting a literal storyline, the video follows the song's emotional atmosphere, turning movement, isolation, and flashes of danger into a vivid dream logic.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video comes from the band's 2010 debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, and accompanied "Punching in a Dream" as the album's third single.

• Its visual language combines graphic design, live-action film, and painted imagery. The result is less a conventional performance clip than a carefully assembled dream sequence.

• The video's landscapes deliberately keep changing: pine forest, snow, sand, and a manor all appear within its short running time, reinforcing the song's unstable, otherworldly mood.

• Ice hockey masks and hooded figures bring a threatening quality to an otherwise expansive and visually beautiful setting.

• "Punching in a Dream" won Best Music Video at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards. The award was part of a major breakthrough year for The Naked and Famous, who won eight awards at the ceremony.

• The song also gained wider exposure through placements in television programs, helping extend the band's reach beyond New Zealand during the early 2010s.