The Head and the Heart - Down in the Valley

What this video is

Released in February 2012, this video arrived at the peak of the early-2010s indie folk resurgence, when bands like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, and The Lumineers were redefining mainstream acceptance of acoustic-led Americana. The Head and the Heart had self-released their debut on Sub Pop in early 2011, and the road-documentary format of this clip authentically captured the grassroots touring culture that defined their…

Why it matters

A landmark document of the early-2010s indie folk video aesthetic, 'Down in the Valley' helped codify the tour-diary music video format as an expressive genre in its own right. Its naturalistic, low-intervention approach—road footage, live performance clips, candid moments—stood in deliberate…

The director

E. Ryan McMackin is a Seattle-based director of photography and music video director. He is credited on multiple projects within the Pacific Northwest indie scene, including music videos for The Head and the Heart. His broader work spans cinematography and…