Walrus have released a video for their song ‘Close My Eyes’ just in time for Halloween. They band has made the best of the season by enlisting horror flick director Torin Langen to produce one of the most beautifully oddball videos of the year.
The result is squarely in the crossroads of The Crash Test Dummies meets Dumb and Dumber and Arcade Fire meets Where The Wild Things Are. Arguably the best of both worlds, even without a Jeff Daniels cameo, the video tales a cautionary tale of love (or so we’d imagine). The timeless story of the over-eager, perhaps even naïve, pumpkin monster in search of a candy-corn beast. The video reminds us that despite the best laid plans, and high fructose based traps, love isn’t just a matter or luring something in with a bit of candy, it’s about putting yourself out there. You have to be prepared for that level of vulnerability. If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If it then tries to devour you and you survive, it was meant to be.
The band say that the credit all comes down to Langen – the video was shot entirely in Waterloo while the band were touring across Canada. “It couldn’t have been easier on our end,” says Walrus drummer Jordan Murphy. “We’ve always really liked Torin’s work and wanted to work with him. We sent him the tune and he had an idea pretty quickly, that was pretty much the story for the vid. We were totally cool letting him do his thing, we were into it as soon as he explained it to us.“
“This project has been a bit of a change of pace from my previous work, in that it’s probably the most family-friendly film I’ve made thus far,” says Langen. “That being said it was really refreshing to create a piece that captured my favourite aspects of the Halloween season, and Walrus’ dreamy soundtrack made it a joy to edit. And of course thanks so, so much to my team members Sarah Pugsley, Joe Parente and Delfin Jenn, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”
The song itself is very The 13th Floor Elevators psychedelia with a fever dream solo like a kick in the pants. Songwriter Justin Murphy tells us that the song is very much a matter of subconscious escapism. “It always revolved lyrically around dreams, or you know life outside of your conscious mind. ‘Step outside the picture, step outside the light, but you won’t recognize me when I close my eyes’: like everything you are in your day to day life is completely flipped and irrelevant when you close your eyes, or sleep or dream or whatever the case.”
Walrus will be making an appearance at Nova Scotia Music Week, where they have recently been nominated for a Music Nova Scotia Award for Alternative Recording Of The Year, and following that up with a series of tour dates across the Maritimes.
Nov 4: Truro – Nova Scotia Music Week – Holiday Inn Truro
Nov 19: Montreal – M4MTL – Quai Des Brumes
Nov 21: Halifax – The Wardroom
Nov 25: Saint John – Pepper’s Pub
Nov 26: Charlottetown – Baba’s
Dec 1: Sackville – Pepper’s
Dec 2: Moncton – The Esquire
Dec 3: Fredericton – The Capitol