Synopsis
John Maus moves through a stark, snow-covered Minnesota landscape in a lo-fi science-fiction journey. After watching "RoboCop" at home, he ventures into the frozen countryside, where retro-futurist machinery, electric-blue signals, and a giant satellite dish transform the familiar rural setting into an otherworldly communications outpost. The video builds toward a surreal launch sequence, combining deadpan performance, wintry isolation, and homemade-looking technology in a deliberately strange portrait of escape, transmission, and cosmic possibility.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed in Austin, Minnesota, Maus' hometown, giving its rural setting a direct connection to his personal landscape.
- Its official presentation describes the concept as a journey through frozen landscapes, old cinema, and space-age communication, culminating in a launch from a giant satellite dish.
- The clip uses a degraded VHS-style visual treatment that reinforces the song's retro-synth and science-fiction atmosphere.
- "RoboCop" appears as part of the video's television imagery, linking Maus' world to the era's dystopian and futuristic movie culture.
- Production credits list Liza Cardinale as editor, Nicolas Amato as cinematographer, Telefantasy Studios for special effects, Bodo Holst as motion-control operator, and Roni Levi for model and prop engineering.
- "Head for the Country" appeared on Maus' third album, "We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves," released in June 2011.
- The clip was presented as the second official video associated with that album, following "Believer."
- The combination of rural Minnesota scenery, analog video texture, practical models, and science-fiction imagery became a concise visual expression of the album's lo-fi electronic aesthetic.