The Lumineers release poignant 'Cleopatra' music video - premiere

It follows a 55-year-old taxi driver as she ferries 'strangers in the backseat' around town

(Press image)

The Lumineers have released a poignant new music video for their road trip-friendly single “Cleopatra”.

The folk rockers from Denver, Colorado scored their second number one album in both the UK and US when Cleopatra knocked Adele and Kanye West off the top spots in May.

The new video has been directed by Isaac Ravishankara, whose past projects include videos for the likes of Ellie Goulding, Hosier and Phantagram. It is the first of a series telling the story of the album, which will be released in reverse-chronological order.

Click here to watch the video

“Cleopatra” follows a 55-year-old taxi driver as she ferries “strangers in the backseat” around town, all of whom bring back moving memories for her. Eventually her own son jumps into the passenger seat. They head to an empty car park to enjoy burgers and fries on the car bonnet before heading home, where it emerges that she is dropping him off with his dad, her ex-husband, and will no longer be walking in with him as she used to.

The Lumineers make a brief appearance in the video at 1.26 as Cleopatra spots them heading out of town at the airport.

“Cleopatra was the bedrock of the album,” says singer Wesley, who came to know her through a friend. “She drives taxis and is this badass lady - she’ll pick you up from the airport with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a beer can between her legs.”

The Lumineers are currently in the middle of their sold-out world tour and will be playing Latitude Festival on 17 July.