Future Islands' video for "Seasons (Waiting On You)," directed by Jay Buim, is a portrait of young middle American love rarely explored or even considered by the world of indie rock. Its rural-suburban imagery is very much rooted in 2014, sidestepping the problematic yearning for "simpler times" that often hides under this sort of Americana. And when paired with Future Islands' atmospheric, heart-on-the-sleeve synth-pop, the video captures the tensions that fuel the Baltimore by way of coastal Carolina group's music. Here's a video where the rural setting is soundtracked by urbane yet deeply emotional synth-pop.Yet, "Seasons" flirts with potentially loaded imagery, as well: A sign that says "Pray Big" gets a big fat close-up; American flags hover in the background of many scenes; quiet images of the couple and the community in prayer are doted upon; a man pressing a bible to his chest and clapping is one of the most quietly striking shots in the video. These are neorealist details that need to be there for the sake of accuracy, but they are also low key affronts. This is a video with the keen insider-outsider ability to extract say, GOP salt of the earth gone wrong manipulation from the relatively politics-free day-to-day reality of living for people that it is safe to say, a lot of Future Islands fans condescend to a little bit. Undeniable though, is a zen-like expression of wholeness between work and personal life that arrives towards the end of "Seasons" when the main character proudly twirls a lasso in a field and Buim elegantly cuts to the couple dancing in a bar, the man twirling the woman around.Or, look at it like this: "Seasons" is like a music video exercise in empathy. The visual equivalent of going home for the holidays and focusing on the positive, caring qualities of people you don't think you have all that much in common with anymore. Viewing "Seasons" along with Buim's video for Future Islands' 2011 song, "Balance" also helps if a po-faced portrayal of Red-Staters makes you uncomfortable. "Balance" focused on a young black couple in love, hitchhiking to the beach. A sense of endless possibility collapsing onto top of the nagging reality that summer will end soon enough was palpable. Combined, "Seasons" and "Balance" suggests that Buim is constructing, video by video, a larger, project that will touch on the multitudes of couples in love across the country."Seasons" also suggests a less churlish version of "Bound 2." With "Bound 2" the viewer challenge was wrestling with something completely over-the-top, nudging and winking the entire time. "Bound 2" sought to burst through the wall of irony until it turned the aggressively artificial and absurd into expressions of sincerity ."Seasons" doesn't jump through Tumblr-fueled, Tim and Eric-esque hoops to land on "sincere." It just confidently demands you takes its middle American milieu seriously. Like "Bound 2" however, there's an intentional naivete to "Seasons." Buim asks viewers toconsiderthese white people context-free. That is arguably dangerous given the current political climate but that's precisely what makes "Seasons" such a brave and ultimately, moving video. A compassion bomb (with an open-hearted soundtrack) dropped on the heads of pricks like me who have a hard time extracting these kinds of people and their Christianity and their pick-up trucks from the very similar people or really, very same people oppose gay marriage, and have "NOBAMA" bumper stickers on their trucks.Brandon Soderberg is a writer and dog owner living in Baltimore. He's on Twitter - @notrivia