Synopsis

The video places These New Puritans in a strange, elemental landscape of heath, reeds, open ground and shadowy surroundings. Wearing theatrical capes and moving through a series of contrasting environments, the band appears less like a conventional performing act than a group of figures emerging from an unstable dream. Rapidly shifting images, stark outdoor compositions and a heat-hazed, nightmarish atmosphere mirror the song's jagged momentum. Rather than follow a literal narrative, the clip builds an impressionistic world around the band's cryptic lyrics and ritualistic visual presence.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in March 2008 around Clapton Common and the reed-filled marshes of Hackney, London.

• The production was conceived as a montage of different environments and images, with its visual language shaped by the artwork and imagery associated with the band's debut album, "Beat Pyramid."

• The band members were photographed and filmed wearing capes during the shoot, reinforcing the song's archaic, ceremonial mood.

• The single version of "Swords of Truth" was reportedly reworked from the album recording into a more extended, droning arrangement.

• "Swords of Truth" was released in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2008, through Angular and Domino, on 7-inch vinyl, 12-inch vinyl and digital download.

• The song comes from "Beat Pyramid," These New Puritans' 2008 debut album. Its lyrics draw on recurring album themes involving numbers, elements and transformation.