Grizzly Bear - Sleeping Ute

What this video is

Released June 5, 2012 as the lead single from Grizzly Bear's fourth studio album Shields (Warp Records, September 18, 2012), 'Sleeping Ute' arrived during a high-water mark for Brooklyn-based indie rock. The album debuted at #7 on the Billboard 200, Warp's highest US chart position ever, signaling the mainstream absorption of experimental indie aesthetics. The video's extreme brightness, static frame, and near-zero…

Why it matters

A landmark in 2010s neo-psychedelic indie rock, 'Sleeping Ute' exemplifies the era's integration of art-video sensibility with indie rock promotion. The video's single-shot or zero-cut construction, monochromatic overexposure, and surrealist desert staging reflect a directorial school — associated…

The director

Hiro Murai (born 1983) is a Japanese filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He is known for music videos for Childish Gambino, Earl Sweatshirt, Chet Faker, and others, as well as television work on the FX series Atlanta (2016–2022) and the HBO series Station Eleven…