Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit’s “Only Children” music video is a mysterious adventure. The Kurt Simpson-directed clip follows two young women as a glowing knapsack falls into their possession; press play above to watch.
The two friends share a night full of adventure with the backpack in their possession, but when the morning comes, its mystical powers are no more, and the one friend is gone, too. Has she died — and the whole last night was nothing more than a memory — or just left? It’s open for interpretation.
Driven by a quiet acoustic guitar and Isbell and bandmate and wife Amanda Shires‘ harmonies, “Only Children” focuses on two people who have shared intimate moments and a deep connection. Listeners get the sense the pair are both lonely: “Remember when we used to meet / The bottom of Mobile Street / Do what the broken people do?” Isbell sings.
The two are both dreamers, too, though: one a musician, one a writer. “You’d do whatever you put your mind to,” Isbell sings; however, sadly, one of their lives ended early.
“Only Children” comes from Isbell and the 400 Unit’s newest album, Reunions, which arrived in mid-May.
Jason Isbell’s Best Live Shots: