Today marks the premiere of the official music video for Hope I Don’t Bleed, the second single from Everything We Thought We Wanted, the new album by The Far West released via Blackbird Record Label. Directed by Preston Spurlock, the animated video reimagines the band’s signature grit and emotion through a surreal, hand-crafted lens, turning their Americana storytelling into a visual fever dream.
Known for his bold collage-style animation, Spurlock injects the song’s reflection on mortality with flashes of absurdity and beauty. Guitars morph into shapes, faces dissolve into light, and rhythm becomes movement. The animation feels chaotic but tender, echoing the band’s own long road, from sneaking into studios at midnight to narrowly rescuing their masters from the 2025 Eaton Fire.
At the heart of the track is a scorching guitar solo from Dave Alvin, a long-time influence and collaborator. Frontman Lee Briante recalls, “As far as the song goes, there are some interesting tidbits... we were on tour with Dave & Phil Alvin and got up the courage to ask Dave to join us on stage one night in Boston (he did).”
“After we came off that tour, we asked him to join us in the studio; he said ‘ok’ and gave us a date... as luck would have it, my son was born the night before the session, but I didn’t want to jeopardise missing the session or have to reschedule with Dave and maybe lose the chance... so my wife kindly told me to go ahead to the studio, and I left her and my newborn in the hospital while Dave ripped a solo for us,” he adds. The result is a striking music-video premiere that fuses animation and emotion, proof that The Far West’s mix of resilience and realism extends far beyond sound.
