Being a kid is a magical time, especially in a Shins video. Being an adult, not so much. In the new clip for “It’s Only Life,” a young boy and his dog are experiencing great summer time adventures, seemingly oblivious to the much darker drama playing itself out.

As the boy and his dog play in the woods and at local merchants, the story unspools that he and his pooch may be the only ones remaining uncaptured by a crew of black horse-like creatures, who have nabbed the rest of the town’s denizens, including Shins’ leader James Mercer.

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The boy comes upon abandoned cars, an empty convenience store and a wig store and does exactly what a young boy would do in those circumstances: enjoy some free, albeit it melting, ice cream and dress his adorable pup in a pink wig. All the while Mercer is getting dragged, Gulliver style, behind one of the black creatures.

It’s a beautifully shot video directed by Hiro Murai that seems like something akin to Maurice Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are.” Even though things most decidedly do not turn out all right for all involved, it’s a magical place to visit for four minutes.