Synopsis
Tropics' "Soft Vision" unfolds like a sun-drenched dream in the Hawaiian landscape. Three women move through lush natural settings, beaches, and pools, their ritualistic gestures and slow, fluid dancing lending the video an otherworldly calm. Colored smoke drifts through the frame, while a striking white wolf appears as a mysterious presence amid the greenery. The imagery remains impressionistic rather than narrative, emphasizing atmosphere, texture, and movement as the performers seem to commune with the landscape and the track's hazy, euphoric sound.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was shot in Hawaii at Boiling Pots and Richardson's Beach.
- Its cast features Natalie Walters, Kira Okamoto, and Leah Wagner, alongside a white wolf that became one of the clip's most memorable visual elements.
- The production used a Canon 550D with a 50mm f/1.8 lens and a homemade diffusion filter, helping create the footage's soft, glowing appearance.
- "Soft Vision" was released through Planet Mu as the title track of the three-song *Soft Vision E.P.* on October 4, 2010.
- Tropics is the stage name of British electronic musician Chris Ward, who was 22 when the track and video emerged.
- Contemporary coverage highlighted the clip's lush, ethereal cinematography and its use of colored smoke, unusual animal imagery, and deliberately new-age visual gestures.