Today the new Lance Drake video for Miike Snow’s “Heart is Full” dropped, and it’s jampacked with an original sci-fi narrative, and 90’s nostalgia eye-candy. “Heart is Full” premiered exclusively on Facebook, where Lance commented that his son was born during the production of this video, so it will always hold a special place in his heart. It's no coincidence that this is one of his most cohesive and story driven ideas yet.

We are first shown a wide shot of a pensive looking woman looking over a futuristic cityscape, and then shoots right into an intense action sequence, shot in the famous green-lighted underpass of Downtown LA. For all intents and purposes, they only shot in one location, and I think that’s all it needed. So much of the lighting was natural, and totally fit the sci-fi action aesthetic Lance and DP Todd Banzahl were going for. The video endures a revenge narrative packed with a handful of amazingly choreographed action sequences, thanks to Lance's frequent collaborator, stunt choreographer Mindy Kelly.

You can definitely catch the 90s and early 2000’s anime and action vibes in this video, so if you grew up in that time period, chances are, the references you are being reminded of are probably right-on; Lance himself admitting in a Facebook Q&A to many influences including, but not limited to, Spawn, Akira, and Ghost-In-The-Shell. There are more hidden references packed into the details, so if you care enough to figure them out, pay attention and try to connect the dots!

The cinematography is amazing as usual, Todd Banzahl utilizing a great combination of artistic static shots, and action driven motion. There’s a lot going on here, and I think the team captured and out it together in in a fun way, also thanks to editor Jeremiah Mayhew, a previous collaborator with Lance on his video for Middle Class Rut's Aunt Betty. The VFX were also very well executed, and served a narrative function within the video, star Braina Laviena wielding a chromed-out ball and chain weapon that seems to be alive, and uses it in her various action sequences, leading all the way up to the dramatic finishing moments. Fellow Doomsday director Roboshobo, known for his directing efforts on Brandon Flowers’ and Mastodon’s videos, totally knocked it out of the park with the visual effects. I really love seeing directors come together and help each other out, similar to director Zak Stoltz pitching in for VFX on DANIELS’ Turn Down for What.

I’m really stoked that the direction Lance is going continues to push the limits of narrative within music videos, and hopefully lead into features, God willing. If he got the money together, he could totally follow in the steps of music video turned feature directors like Jonathan Glazer or Joseph Kahn, because if he can pack this much into a few minutes with a small budget, imagine what he could do with a couple million!

Caleb Jackson is a Tucson native, Los Angeles based writer and director who spends his time pretending he lives in any decade besides this one. He tends to enjoy music videos with a little bit of narrative and a lot of bright colorful lights.