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Conor Oberst Survives Dystopian Future in ‘Zigzagging Towards the Light’ Video

conor obert, upside down mountain

Conor Oberst came to terms with his past in SPIN’s current cover story, but the singer-songwriter looks to the future in the new music video for “Zigzagging Towards the Light,” a highlight from his recently released solo album, Upside Down Mountain. Directed by David Altobelli, the black-and-white clip begins ten years from now and opens with Oberst giving an interview to a disembodied voice (à la Spike Jonze’s Her) that tells him “the camera is everywhere.” During the Q&A, the Bright Eyes mastermind alludes to some kind of major, blackout-related disaster that’s happened in the past decade, the specifics of which are left unclear. After the two-minute-plus intro, the track kicks in and the narrative jumps back to 2014, when Oberst is pacing through the streets of midtown Manhattan, unaware of the Days of Future Past dystopia that awaits the city.

Watch the video above, then revisit key moments in Oberst’s discography, check out SPIN’s review of Upside Down Mountain, and read our May 2014 cover story, Conor Oberst Has Cheered Up.