According to Pitchfork, Scottish rockers Mogwai have just released a new video for their track “Crossing the Road Material.” Not only is this a music video, though. The video also acts as a documentary short following the dirt racer legend Johnny Herchinger. The video, though exhibiting the music of Mogwai, focuses its attention on Herchinger preparing himself and his beautiful Camaro for the Catskills Mountain Race at Accord Speedway in New York.  

The video opens as Herchinger’s 1977 Z28 Street Stock Dvision Camaro rolling out of the truck as the racer talks about what racing is to him. The music slowly chimes in as the cars prepare to race in the dirt track at Accord Speedway. The music develops to faster, fuller sound as the cars zoom past the camera trying to overtake Herchinger and his Camaro. Unfortunately the car flips and Herchinger is taken to an ambulance to get examined. The music then calms down and we hear the racer’s thoughts on his crash and his family. Like a true badass all he wanted to do was flip the car and continue racing. The officials, though, thought otherwise. Directed by Antony Crook, the short music video/documentary exhibits passion, love, and longing for our dreams. Check out the video below.

Formed in Glasgow in 1995, Mogwai is a Scottish post-rock group that is made up of members Stuart Braithwaite (guitar and vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, synth, vocals, and piano), Dominic Aitchison (bass), and Martin Bulloch on drums. Their most recent album, Every Country’s Sun was released on September 1st 2017 and led them to play a large world-wide tour which ended in their hometown of Glasgow. Mogwai also did a surprise Primavera Sound set in which they played Every Country’s Sun in its entirety. Check out the album review here.

In 2015, Mogwai also wrote the music for Mark Cousins’ documentary Atomic, Living in Dread and Promise. The soundtrack was later released in 2016 and was rightly titled Atomic.

In 2016, singer Braithwaite also took part in documentary following the story of Glasgow music  which was titled Lost in France. Directed by Niall McCann, the movie had Braithwaite, amongst other musicians, to recreate a gig Mogwai performed just after they formed. The documentary features live footage of Mogwai as well as intimate solo performances by Braithwaite himself. The film premiered in the Edinburgh International Film Festival and received a multitude of positive reviews.

photo credit: Marv Watson