Peter Wolf Crier are a duo from Minneapolis, so they fit right in with Jagjaguwar’s habit of discovering/signing Midwestern (Gayngs, Bon Iver, recently featured S. Carey) and, incidentally, Canadian talent (Besnard Lakes, Women, Black Mountain, etc). “Hard As Nails,” began (as did all the tracks on their debut album) as part of a sudden rush of new songs for Peter Pisano, who then teamed with Brian Moen to put flesh on them. The fuzzy percussion, Pisano’s haunted voice, and the cascade of falsetto gasps at the end make you think that flesh is pretty tender on “Hard As Nails.” The “haunted” part is important for the video. It follows a narrative, but it doesn’t want to give up the story too easily. Every time I watch I think it’s about something different: A broken relationship, a woman suffering a breakdown (or maybe it’s the guy who’s having the breakdown), a dead child (notice how they’re repainting what could only be a kid’s bedroom). Director Kevin Russell and the band do a great job of using what they have (mostly flashlights) to make the video feel like it’s skipping back and forth in time.

Get the song:

• Peter Wolf Crier – “Hard As Nails”Download

Inter-Be is out now via Jagjaguwar.