Synopsis

A kaleidoscopic collage of archival footage, VHS textures, computer animation, and surreal imagery unfolds to accompany The Presets' reflective electronic track. Planes, flying cars, ocean life, flowers, fires, bombs, dancers, and isolated figures appear in quick succession, creating a world that feels both nostalgic and unstable. Fragments of the song's lyrics punctuate the montage as the video moves between technological spectacle and moments of quiet human behavior. Rather than follow a conventional narrative, it presents a fragmented portrait of a world overwhelmed by conflict, memory, desire, and the hope of starting over.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in late 2012 as a visual companion to "Promises," a track from The Presets' album *Pacifica*.

• Its imagery combines found and archival-looking footage with colorful computer animation, producing a deliberately handmade, patchwork effect rather than a polished performance clip.

• Among the recurring visual motifs are planes, coastal imagery, flowers, fires, bombs, neon graphics, and solitary people. The mixture gives the video a broad social and environmental perspective that matches the song's references to conflict, destruction, and calmer seas.

• Lyrics are incorporated directly into the visuals at several points, allowing the text to function as part of the graphic design instead of simply serving as subtitles.

• The video's colorful, psychedelic style was associated with the New Zealand multidisciplinary studio Special Problems, whose work often combined live-action footage, illustration, animation, and experimental post-production.

• The Presets do not appear as the central focus. The decision to emphasize images, textures, and anonymous figures makes the song feel less like a personal performance and more like a meditation on a troubled wider world.