At first listen, the tunes on Nic Hessler’s debut album Soft Connections may be categorized alongside the sunny indie rock of Wild Nothing or Ducktails. But there’s a victorious, larger-than-life quality on songs like “Hearts, Repeating” and “I Feel Again” that set Hessler apart from his contemporaries. The young Californian singer-songwriter’s soaring, upbeat anthems reflect a nearly debilitating battle with autoimmune disease, and the resulting sense of wide-eyed wonder. In his new video for “I Feel Again”, Hessler climbs to the top of a sand dune and chants the song’s title while a purple sun sets behind him. Even if you aren’t hip to Hessler’s extraordinary story, the song’s joyfulness is almost impossible to shake off. Watch director Adam Neustadter’s video below.

Soft Connections is out now on Captured Tracks.