Fredericton outlaws The Hypochondriacs have had one hell of a summer. You’ve probably already seen them playing shows, festivals, and that massive album-release patio party they had at The Capital Complex. There’s a good chance you’ve already experienced the real-life version of their new video for ‘Just Like Before’, but now we have a digital keepsake of the memory.
The first single and first track from their new album, The Hypochondriacs In 3/4, ‘Just Like Before’ is naturally the one we hear again and again. If we had a list of the Songs of Summer 2017, it would be at the top of the list. The song has been inescapable. Not that we’re complaining.
Filmed and edited by Devon Murrins at The Capital Complex, The Hypochondriacs’ second home in Fredericton, the video captures the energy of the band’s live performances. Gilded with the Fredericton Swing Dancers Club, the video might be a little more sensational than we’re used to seeing them, but at least it’s how we have always imagined them. There’s a bit of flash, a little anachronistic nostalgia, and a healthy dose of coyote yips.
The song itself is about being trapped in a cycle of loss: getting hung up on someone who you used to be in love with, and maybe you still are, but feeling the blow of depression that comes from watching them make the mistake of leaving. The trick is, there is no ‘just like before’. By the time someone moves on, there should come a realization that what they’ve moved on from no longer exists. For all that, the song manages to keep relatively upbeat and dancy. Those swing dancers apparently aren’t going to let a bit of heartbreak get in the way of a good time, though.
Shoutout to Josh Bravener’s eyebrows.