The Town Heroes released a dark new video for “Babe Ruth”, the third single off their latest and fourth full length album, Everything (will be fine when we get to where we think we’re going). While the band released a colourful teaser for the track that featured vocalist Mike Ryan chopping down a tree, the final video hints at the truth behind the song that is far more grim.
That baseball metaphor isn’t a coincidence. When Mike Ryan references legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, it’s all to do with the way they could handle a bat.
“I use a lot of metaphors in my song-writing,” says Ryan. “I typically write based around personal experiences or things I felt. Sometimes I think it’s easier to understand things when I can just sum it up with something relatable.
My wife went out for a birthday party with friends. She had one glass of wine and somewhere along the way someone slipped something into her drink. I’m certainly not a violent person in any way, but I wanted to find whoever did that to do some batting practice with their legs… metaphorically… or maybe literally.”
The teaser video got to the point a little quicker with Ryan aggressively going after a tree on the edge of his property with an axe. It makes for a more gruesome metaphor, but Ryan at least recognizes the value in self-restraint.
“I got half-way and realized I didn’t know which way it was going to fall so I stopped. I know the proper technique with the cuts on each side, but there’s a lean going the way I don’t want it to fall… “
The final video, directed by Angus, and starring Kayla Jordan, disguises the truth behind the song, but the metaphorical hints are all there. There’s a sensuousness, a vulnerability, the destruction of illusion, and a hope that it can all be washed away.
“Ultimately, the song is about caring for someone so much that you’d do anything for them,” says Ryan. ‘It’s kind of funny because it’s a super fun, upbeat and catchy tune. In the song there is that dark underbelly, but ultimately it’s about being there for the people you care about.”
Tour Dates:
05.10.18 – The Capital Complex, Fredericton
06.10.18 – The Vogue Theatre, Miramichi
12.10.18 – The Seahorse, Halifax
13.10.18 – The Cave , Sydney
19.10.18 – Hunter’s Alehouse, Charlottetown
20.10.18 – Glasgow Square Theatre, New Glasgow
26.10.18 – Pepper’s Pub, Saint John
27.10.18 – Plan B, Moncton