Kevin Morby has released the video for “I Have Been To The Mountain,” the first single off his upcoming album Singing Saw. Dedicated to and inspired by the death of Eric Garner, the solemn, acoustic guitar-based tune expresses Morby’s anger towards the thoughtless killings in our society that overwhelm our past and present. Its video is are set in an eerie, lifeless hospital and depicts a man on his deathbed who, for a brief moment, is reborn and finds joy in dancing for no one but himself.

The video is directed by Phillip Lopez, who Morby discovered when he came across “Fred Astaire with a stomach full of Corn Chips and Valium,” a short film Lopez produced featuring Morby’s song “Harlem River” uncredited. Morby loved the video and reached out to Lopez to ask him to credit the song, and when it came time to release “I Have Been To The Mountain,” he knew exactly who he wanted to direct the video. Morby also knew that he wanted to capture the exuberant dancing of Nathan Mitchell, the star of Lopez’s short film.

The “I Have Been To The Mountain” video is inspired by Lopez’s experience in the hospital beside a dying man and his grieving family. He remembers feeling as if in the moment that the man died, he could feel his soul dancing around the room. The video captures the celebration of life in a period of grief through Mitchell’s emotive, jubilant dancing, while still illustrating the genuine pain and confusion felt in moments of loss that Morby attempts to explore. Watch below.

Morby has a lot of tour dates coming up:

02/25 Rennes, France @ La Route du Rock Winter Festival
03/16-18 Austin, TX # SXSW
05/05 London, England # Oslo Hackney
05/06 Paris, France @ La Maroquinerie
05/07 Brussels, Belgium @ Atelier 210
05/08 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Bitterzoet
05/09 Berlin, Germany @ Lido
05/10 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhagen Jazzhouse
05/11 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Pustervik
05/12 Lund, Sweden @ Mejeriet
05/13 Aarhus, Denmark @ Radar
05/14 Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow
06/02 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
06/03 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater *
06/04 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place *
06/06 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
06/07 Vancouver, British Columbia @ Media Club *
06/08 Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
06/10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
06/11 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
06/12 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room *
06/14 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry *
06/15 Chicago, IL @ Schubas *
06/16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme *
06/17 Toronto, Ontario @ The Great Hall *
06/19 Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
06/20 Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle *
06/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade NYC *
06/23 Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel *
06/24 Durham, NC @ The Pinhook *
06/25 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
06/26 Nashville, TN @ 3rd & Lindsley
06/28 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
06/29 Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder
07/02 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
08/04-08 Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
* with Jaye Bartell

Singing Saw is out 4/15 on Dead Oceans and available for pre-order here.