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Aug 06, 2020 Nation of Language By Samantha Small

Synth-pop trio Nation of Language released their debut album, Introduction, Presence, back in May. In our review we called it one of the “most danceable records of its kind released since the period it references.” If you missed it, no worries. The band has announced a limited-edition translucent sand vinyl release, exclusively through Rough Trade on August 28. In addition, the band released a video for the album’s “On Division St.” Check it out below.

Songwriter/vocalist Ian Devaney dances atop a Brooklyn building with band mates Michael Sue-Poi and synth player Aidan Noell. He reflects, dancing away—or maybe, to the beat of—his nostalgia. “On division street/I would like to find the answers i was always rudely denied,” Devaney sings.

“I’ve been looking forward to releasing a video for ‘On Division St.’ for a long time,” Devaney says in a press release. “We were excited to team up with our friend James Thomson, who was able to shine a new kind of light on the song. I have this idea in my head that our music generally feels out of place against the backdrop of summer, but the dynamic of the city in its current condition really captured the solitude and confusion behind the song in a way that feels compelling. Thomson shot the video on 16mm film, which has a way of making you perceive the recent past as the distant past—a feeling I’ve been experiencing a lot these past several months as time seems to warp in strange new ways.”

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