Years & Years share their futuristic, dystopian short film ‘Palo Santo’

Years & Years have released their accompanying 15-minute short film that shares a title and themes with their new album ‘Palo Santo’.

Read more: Years & Years – Palo Santo review

The short film was teased back in April with a trailer narrated by Dame Judi Dench. It is directed by Fred Rowson and features Thai actor Vithaya Pansringarm and Ben Whishaw alongside Years & Years singer Olly Alexander.

In a post on Facebook, Olly Alexander writes: “Before I started on any of the music for this album I started dreaming of Palo Santo… I got a scrapbook together of poems, drawings, photographs and other random little gems of inspiration -and I started scheming.”

“I began working with Fred Rowson on a film that took the music and lyrics and themes of the album and set them against a new story. Fred & I spent many moons getting lost in Palo Santo, it was the most fun I’ve ever had”.

Read more: Olly Alexander: “We’re seeing a lot more visible queer artists and visible gay people”

The statement concludes: “I’m so proud and happy and over the new moon to present to you our short film Palo Santo, an android fairytale where humans are the only ones who still feel.”

Check out the full introduction below and watch the Palo Santo short film.

Meanwhile, Olly Alexander has opened up about starring in Oxbridge drama The Riot Club, describing it as a “horrible experience”.

When asked by a fan to recount his experiences, Olly said: “It was actually quite a horrible experience filming it, only because it was so hot and we were wearing really, really fancy white tie.

“And I’ve never been in an environment with that many men sort of trying to out-shine each other and it felt a bit like… I don’t know, it was kind of a bizarre environment.”

Ahead of releasing the record next month, the group have confirmed they’re hitting the road in November – taking in shows at Glasgow’s The SSE Hydro, Manchester’s O2 Apollo and London’s O2 Arena.