Prepare to have your mind blown by the new video from Walrus. Animated by Chad VanGaalen, the video is like a psychedelic Where’s Waldo exercise in nihilism. Good luck finding whatever it is you’re looking for. “Half Smoke” is everything, and it is nothing. It is the Alpha and the Omega, the best of times and the worst of times, what you had for breakfast and what you’ll eat for dinner. It is your inner demons and the salvation of self acceptance. Mostly, it is available for you to watch right now.
The song, on the other hand, is very pointed in its inspirations, and doesn’t exactly spring forth from a font of a creativity and happiness. Rather, it was born of one of the darkest times the band ever experienced.
“This song is one of the few songs I’ve written that is about an exact moment in time,” explains Walrus’ Justin Murphy. “We were on our furthest tour at that point where we drove all the way to California and back, and it was turning shambolic. We had been robbed in San Fran after our window was smashed in the van, then after a show inn San Diego we had basically a day and a half to make it to Chicago. We did it.
“Then we had to play Moline, Illinois after and we had run out of money. I had run out of money, and we had the [biggest] band blowup [to date]. I was sure it was done. My clothes had been stolen, I was bumming cigarettes. But it could always have been worse.”
The video is a much happier story, with VanGaalen unleashing a torrent of weird on the song. Perfectly synched and grossly eclectic, the animation is a vibrantly surreal, and open to the wildest interpretations, or simply a counter-campaign to “This is your brain on drugs.”
“We have been big fans of Chad’s work for a long time and had been interested in doing an animated video for a while now, so it seemed like a perfect fit,” says Justin. “It was very exciting to see his animated world come to life paired with our tune and we love how it turned out. I’m not sure how he comes up with his ideas but it’s all so creative and detailed. You could watch it 100 times and you’d probably see something new each time.”
“Half Smoke” is set to appear on Walrus’ upcoming album, Cool to Who, out October 18, 2019 via Outside Music.
Tour Dates:
09.17.19 – Quebec City, QC – L’anti
09.18.19 – Kingston, ON – Mansion w/ Villages
09.19.19 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
09.20.19 – Watsons Corner, ON – Hollowfest
09.21.19 – Barrie, ON – Troubadour Festival
09.25.19 – Fredericton, NB – The Fredericton Playhouse w/ Thrush Hermit
09.26.19 – Moncton, NB – Tide & Boar Ballroom w/ Thrush Hermit
10.03.19 – Oshawa, ON – Oshawa Music Hall w/ Wintersleep
10.04.19 – Midland, ON – Midland Cultural Centre w/ Wintersleep
10.26.19 – Halifax, NS – Marquee Ballroom – HPX w/ Diet Cig
11.01.19 – Sackville, NS – Thunder & Lightning w/ Little You Little Me
11.02.19 – Saint John, NB – Pepper’s Pub w/ Jamie Comeau & The Crooked Teeth
11.08.19 – Truro, NS – Engine Room – Nova Scotia Music Week
11.09.19 – Charlottetown, PE – Baba’s w/ Sorrey