Japandroids’ Near To The Wild Heart Of Life was one of 2017’s early standout records, one that Steven Hyden called “a minor miracle.” From the album-opening title track to “Arc Of Bar,” the album is a tour de force on recording. Luckily, the band also brought director Jim Larson out on tour to capture the raucous nature of a Japandroids live show, allowing the band to release a clip comprised almost entirely of stage-diving in the form of a music video for “North East South West,” the second track on Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, and one with a chorus that will never escape the brain. Check out the crazy video above.
Earlier this year, Japandroids’ guitarist Brian King spoke with Steven Hyden about the ways that the band was trying to stay optimistic whilst on tour throughout a country with a newfound leader espousing words of hate and discrimination, a direct contrast to the band’s M.O. of optimistic, feel-good rock songs that encourage listeners to run and look around at all that’s beautiful, rather than brood. Check out their conversation here.
Near To The Wild Heart Of Life is out now on Anti-. Stream it on Spotify.
