It's the end of the world as Young Galaxy knows it, and they feel... sad?

A ravaged countryside, a mushroom cloud in the ocean, and a hurricane of concussive smoke billowing through city streets doesn't sound like the visuals you'd expect from a feel-good, synth-pop summer jam, but it somehow makes perfect sense in Young Galaxy's "New Summer" video.

The latest single from the Montreal band's album Ultramarine, "New Summer"'s onscreen apocalyptic scenarios are exactly what make its video so unsettling. You can easily imagine the music being set to lovers frolicking in the ocean at night, or entwined in each other's arms on a sunlit field. But that would be too predictable.

Watch Young Galaxy's "New Summer" video after the jump.

The cinematic, Ivan Grbovic-directed video is meant to go beyond the inherent imagery suggested by the music, said vocalist Catherine McCandless in a release. It "came out of many wine-fueled, philosophical discussions about the nature of videos and their role, and how a lot of modern videos miss the mark by failing to add anything of substance to the song -- they are content for content's sake."

In fact, the band and Grbovic agreed to "try to make a video that is ambitious and intelligent, or not bother making one at all."

That's easier said than done, of course. The gorgeously chaotic clip looks like it came straight from the set of an oversized summer action blockbuster. "My starting point was wanting to make a video with the least cuts possible, [and] let the music live with the images without prescribing an elaborate narrative or idea," said Grbovic. "I find excessive editing is sometimes a disservice to the music; it's expected."

She's right: Those sad, lonely wisps of red flare smoke drifting off into the breeze are like dozens of little cries for help that won't ever be answered. As McCandless said, "I can't think of another video I've seen that tackles such dramatic subject matter in such a poetic, hypnotic way." We completely agree.

+ Watch Young Galaxy's "New Summer" video.

Photo credit: Paper Bag Records