Sam Hunt Goes on Wistful Mexican Road Trip for ‘Downtown’s Dead’ Video

Sam Hunt's single "Downtown's Dead" tells a morose story of a man who isn't able to fully enjoy himself while thoughts of a past lover still linger on his mind. For the song's video, Hunt took the sentiment of not being able to "paint a ghost town red" and ran with it visually by shooting the clip below the border, in a picturesque but achingly lonely feeling Mexican rural landscape.

Hunt chooses to get out of his mind by hopping on a motorcycle and heading down south, where he cruises arid dirt roads and wanders around semi-deserted cobblestone streets. The overall feel is wistfully picturesque, and viewers will probably come away with the feeling that even a solo road trip to foreign lands wasn't enough to erase his troubles.

Perhaps part of the reason the video rings such a believable note is that the song itself was created quite authentically. One of the song's co-writers, Zach Crowell, told Taste of Country that the tune's terse lyrical message is a direct reflection of the way Hunt was feeling during an off period with the woman who would eventually become his wife; and that the composition is a good example of Hunt's talent for striking a balance between commercial and artistic sensibilities.

"There was a time where they broke up when his career was taking off," Crowell explains. "There were things going on around him that he didn't want to experience without her — him realizing that what he wanted in his life was to be back with [his girl]."

Hunt is currently hitting stadiums through summer with Luke Bryan, and has plans to release a new single before autumn is upon us.

See Photos of Sam Hunt from the 2018 Taste of Country Music Festival