British dance pop trio The xx take a trip back to high school — in Texas, of all places — in the video for their hypnotic single “On Hold.” The clip was filmed in Marfa, Texas, where the band wrote and recorded some of the tracks off their upcoming album, I See You. Directed by photographer Alasdair McLellan (who shot the cover of Adele’s 25 album), the visuals for the propulsive track intersperse glimpses of daily teen life in Marfa (drinking, cheerleading, house parties, same-sex kisses, shower hook-ups, football games, naked push-ups) with snippets of the group’s members looking wistful at sunset.
“Today we get to share our new video for ‘On Hold’ with you! The video is directed by the brilliant Alasdair McLellan, whose work we all adore,” the group wrote in a statement. ” We have a lot of love and respect for the people of the USA, having played hundreds of shows across the country over the past years. We hope this video reflects just some of the warmth and acceptance we have encountered there.”
“On Hold” — which the band performed on Saturday Night Live last week, will be available here on 7″ vinyl, with the limited-edition release featuring an etched B-side and debossed mirri board sleeve. I See You is due out on Jan. 13 on Young Turks and the group recently set a record for the longest run ever of sold-out shows at London’s O2 Academy Brixton, where they will play to 35,000 from March 8 through 15 over seven hometown gigs as part of an upcoming international tour.
Check out the video for “On Hold” below.