Shot on location in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan, and on Georgia’s Arabia Mountain, Easter Island’s video for “It’s You,” the group’s cover of the 2016 Zayn Malik hit, is tranquil and quietly intimate. There’s often a tendency for American filmmakers to fetishize foreign cultures and locales, but the visuals here are framed here in such a way as to focus on our shared humanity. Yes, there a slow pan of a pagoda and footage that captures a neon-lit Tokyo, but mostly it’s shots of people interacting in warm, familiar ways—laughing, holding hands, embracing one another, sharing a meal. Interspersed within that are Arabia Mountain’s striking landscapes, which makes for a dynamic yet serene contrast.

“We were in Japan for two weeks shooting the video for the single ‘Island Nation’ and had all this leftover footage,” says bandleader Ethan Payne, who also co-directed the video. “I definitely wanted to focus on a more light-hearted behind-the-scenes tone, since the Zayn song is so serious and dramatic. Visually, I liked the contrast between locales, too. You had the bright white lights of Tokyo and the more warm, yellow tones of the Geisha district in Kyoto. It seemed interesting to put all that next to the stark, barren landscape of Arabia Mountain in Georgia at dusk.”

Released as a B-side to last year’s “Island Nation” single, “It’s You” finds Easter Island transforming Malik’s moody break-up ballad into an atmospheric dream pop number that takes the song in a more ambient direction without losing the pensive desperation of the original.

Watch/listen above.

The video’s release comes on the heels of Easter Island’s recent spring tour announcement. Kicking off with a string of SXSW appearances, the two-week trek will take the group up through the Midwest before hooking up with B-52’s legend Cindy Wilson for the final leg of the tour. Check out the full list of dates below.


Easter Island Spring Tour
Mar 15 — Austin, TX – SXSW Audubon Society Showcase
Mar 16 — Austin, TX – SXSW New Granada Showcase
Mar 17 — Austin, TX – SXSW Athens in Austin Showcase
Mar 17 — Austin, TX – SXSW Firehouse Lounge
Mar 19 – Cedar Edge, CO – The Old Slaughter House
Mar 21 — Fort Collins, CO – Budweiser Tours
Mar 23 — Boise, ID – TREEFORT Ha Penny
Mar 26 — Bozeman, MT – The Filling Station*
Mar 28 — St. Paul, MN – Turf Club*
Mar 29 — Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen*
Mar 30 — Lakewood, OH – Winchester Music Tavern*
Mar 31 — Nashville, TN – The High Watt*

*w/ Cindy Wilson

More Info
Web: easterisland.band
Bandcamp: easterisland.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @easterislandband
Instagram: @easterisland