For KING + COUNTRY Unveil Cinematic 'What Are We Waiting For?' Video as They Announce Deluxe Album (Exclusive)

“He said, ‘Look, this is the culmination of the album,'” Joel recalled to PEOPLE. He and Luke were sitting in the front row of a small Nashville, Tennessee–area movie theater where they had planned a viewing party for the band and their families later in the night. “This is the title track. The whole album is built around a desert theme. A monologue in the liners reads about how you’ve been living in a no man’s land. It’s this whole allegory.”

The crew member pointed out their team would be in California in less than two weeks and that they should stop in the Mojave Desert and bring the allegory to life.

for KING & COUNTRY made it happen. Joel started calling key team members, changing family plans and engaging their band. They got the video treatment locked in, the budget approved, and had a workable strategy within 72 hours.

for KING + COUNTRY.For King + Country/ Youtube

For King + Country/ Youtube

“The statement of ‘What are we waiting for’ was meaningful to us because that’s what we’re asking ourselves,” Luke told PEOPLE. “What are we waiting for in how we care for our wives, and what are we waiting for when it comes to raising our children? How are we caring for each other? You can’t just keep saying to yourself, ‘Well, maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week.’ We should do it now.”

The video opens with Joel pushing his hand through the desert sand. His body is buried beneath it, and he rises through the dirt as the song starts to play and then turns to grab his brother’s hand and pull him to the surface.

“The sand is weighing you down,” Joel explained.

Luke added that he hopes that coming out of the sand illustrates people breaking free of how they’ve always lived to discover there’s more to life than they realize.

As the video progresses, a sandstorm erupts, and for KING & COUNTRY retrieve members of their band, also buried in the desert. Joel remembers a guy putting dust in their faces to make the sandstorm more realistic. The scene didn’t happen while he was singing, so he was able to hide his face. His brother, however, got a mouthful of dirt.

“You sing along with the music videos,” Luke told PEOPLE. “There was so much dust. I started laughing at one point. It goes right in your mouth, and you can’t sing anymore.”

However, he said the biggest complication was their middle-of-nowhere location, which made accessing the video shoot and getting needed props, equipment and supplies more complicated.

“What was really a testament to is that everyone showed up,” Joel said. Their tour manager’s daughter starred alongside one of Luke’s sons in the video. “The band was completely game. It’s just a testament to really working hard, I think, for all of us to build a culture where people are [willing].”

“The yeses from people meant a lot,” Luke added.

A few minutes later, their band, crew and families filled the small theater to screen the video for the first time. Joel stood in front of them and jokingly explained that even if someone wanted to change something — it was too late. But they didn’t. People hugged and cheered as they watched the clip — and then they watched it a second time.

“It’s this moment of, ‘There’s gotta be more to life,'” Luke said, summarizing the video. “And you go through this storm, and you go through the night, and you get to the other side. And who knows? Maybe you’ll just find an oasis.”

for KING + COUNTRY.Courtesy Curb Records

Courtesy Curb Records

source: people.com