In the category of band most likely to have their videos removed from Youtube, you needn’t look any further than Halifax’s The Bloody Hell. In fact, that ship already sailed for the band, with their 2019 video, “Out of Our Minds,” containing the most gratuitous stop-motion production to ever feature Barbie dolls. The band may have set a precedent for their over-the-top videos, but they’re hoping their latest will fly just under the radar of the community guidelines.
Ian Kean, The Bloody Hell’s frontman notes that, despite (or perhaps due to) the wild content of “Out of Our Minds,” the video did receive a nomination for Independent Music Video of the Year from Dropoutentertainment.ca. They didn’t win, but it was more than enough to convince them to work again with So for the video, we wanted to work the stop-motion animation artist Diane Lindo once again.
“Anyone who follows the band knows we always put a big emphasis on the visual component of each release and it’s always important to us to collaborate with other independent artists,” says Kean.
“The downside to the ‘Out of Our Minds’ video is that it was a little too graphic for the ol’ YouTube community guidelines and was initially banned and then age-restricted. So, this time, we wanted to go more creepy storyline-based narrative instead of all over the top. We found ways to push the envelope without being too over the top. Hopefully, people will be able to watch and enjoy it freely.”
This time, rather than the raunchy free-for-all of “Out of Our Minds,” “When You’re Gone” is, in comparison, a romantic love story; till death do us part and then some…. It’s a wild ride from start to finish, as we watch love blossom, die, come back from beyond the grave, all told through the magic of Barbie dolls.
The equally romantic song, delivered just below a yell, was recorded in the midst of the COVID lockdown of Spring 2020 in Nova Scotia. While the band were able to work with Alex Burris at Joel Plaskett’s award-winning studio, New Scotland Yard, circumstances dictated a slightly different approach to their usual recording habits.
“All of our last recording sessions were always did bed track live off the floor in an attempt to capture our live energy,” explains Kean. “That wasn’t possible this time due to the restrictions so we had to go one at a time, just with the engineer. It was a weird adjustment but what we had to do to move forward in a time when things were standing still.
“Punk rock under strict government restrictions, what a concept”
Kean notes that the band are currently back in the studio working on what is expected to become their second album. Don’t expect to hear it too soon though. The band are holding off on a release until they can get back to regularly performing live.