Today, NPR is premiering tUnE-yArDs' new video for 'Real Thing' from new album Nikki Nack via their First Watch series. You can watch the video on NPR here.

Of the video, Merrill says “I believe 'Real Thing' was the one song I didn't want to make a video for.  It has too many images of its own in the lyrics, and could mean so many different things for different listeners...I love leaving room for audiences to paint their own mental pictures.  What changed my mind is wanting so much for this particular song to be heard by more people.  We chose Tom Jobbins' idea because it framed the sometimes heavy lyrics in a Charlie Chaplin-like, humorous idea of me being a box of body parts in a factory.  A simple and light-hearted backdrop for some complex and weighty ideas.”

Director Tom Jobbins wrote that "hearing the song made me think of bright patterns and dancing hands! With these initial thoughts in my mind and the song on repeat I envisaged a madcap story about three plastic sisters and an all-singing all-dancing Merrill. It's a brash and brilliant song and I wanted to match that with the visuals. Merging animation and live action allowed us to create different spaces and bring in lots of visual treats. Merrill was great from beginning to end. Her advice was always to go weirder and wilder, and I think her brilliant performance shows just that."

tUnE-yArDs will be touring Europe in November, starting at Picthfork Paris on the 1st.  All tour dates are available here.

tUnE-yArDs - Real Thing on MUZU.TV.