Midlake Video Premiere!

Denton, Texas’ Midlake, an indie soft-rock quintet who recall Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan, have just dropped the video for “Head Home” off their excellent, blogged-about sophomore album, The Trials of Van Occupanther. It’s making its international premiere today, right here on SPIN.com (watch below). Inspired by clips of ’70s-era band footage, the video is of the five-piece in a dimly-cast studio session. As frontman Tim Smith revealed, they “decided to do a performance of the song with a classic look and feel.” That the video captures a somewhat stoic performance by the band isn’t all that surprising considering Smith was reading Thomas Hardy’s ill-fated classic, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, after he finished recording the song, his favorite track on the album.

In a ten-week-long marathon of Midlake music videos, the band are set to release one clip for each song off The Trials of Van Occupanther, and SPIN.com has also scored the video for “Van Occupanther” (Oct. 9) and “Young Bride” (Nov. 20). Through Nov. 13, fans and budding video directors can create their own clips for “It Covers the Hillsides” — the only song from the album for which Midlake have yet to make a video — and be entered to win a prize pack of autographed Midlake swag. Visit youtube.com/group/Midlake for more information.

Full Midlake video schedule:

TODAY! “Head Home” international premiere on SPIN.com
10/2 “We Gathered in Spring” @ POPMATTERS.com
10/9 “Van Occupanther” @ SPIN.com
10/16 “Bandits” @ PREFIXMAG.com
10/23 “Balloon Maker”
10/30 “He Tried to Escape”
11/6 “Roscoe” @ STEREOGUM.com
11/13 “Kingfish Pies”
11/20 “Young Bride” @ SPIN.com
11/27 “It Covers The Hillside” Contest Winner @ GORILLA VS BEAR