Synopsis
No Use for A Name perform "Soulmate" amid a restless mix of city life, snowboarding, and social unease. The video follows a young woman through apartment scenes, a drive through San Francisco's Upper Haight, and an increasingly lively house party, while the band repeatedly appears around her like an inescapable presence. Snowboarders launch over a jump as the group acts out the song on the slope, adding kinetic sports footage to a story shaped by insecurity, isolation, and the difficulty of escaping one's own thoughts.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed in Northern California, combining snowboarding footage at Boreal with apartment, driving, and party scenes in San Francisco's Lower Haight and Fillmore areas.
- Snowboarder Ms. Mikki recalled that Boreal's crew divided a large tabletop jump so the band could perform on one side while more experienced riders cleared it.
- The production included a closed ski area for a solo riding shot. Ms. Mikki later described feeling intense stage fright during the take, despite having trained at Whistler and Blackcomb.
- The San Francisco scenes included footage of Ms. Mikki driving one of the band's older cars through the Upper Haight.
- The house party near the end was not entirely staged. People from the local scene came out to participate, giving the sequence an impromptu quality.
- In the video's concept, the band members represent the central character's insecurities. Their repeated appearances suggest the "soulmate" is not a romantic partner but the inner voice and anxiety that have followed her throughout her life.
- "Soulmate" appeared on No Use for A Name's 1995 album *Leche con Carne!* and became an important early video for Fat Wreck Chords.
- The clip received exposure on MTV's *120 Minutes*, helping No Use for A Name reach a wider audience during punk's mid-1990s breakthrough. It was the first video from a Fat Wreck Chords act to appear on MTV.