Futurebirds singer Carter King indulged in a half-serious flight of fancy while writing “Deadbeat Hits,” a song from the Athens, Ga., band’s upcoming album. Speakeasy premieres a video for the tune today.

With a descending figure on steel guitar and King’s hazy vocals, the twangy tune has a genial summertime feel as it scrolls by, accompanied by scenes of the musicians playing in the studio and clowning around outside. King says he wrote the song a few years ago in the midst of heavy touring.

“It's...