Music

PREMIERE: Watch Walrus's new video for "Wearing It"

by Adria Young

Photo: Kate Giffin

Halifax psych-dappled rock band Walrus have been making rad jams since 2012. The four-piece has been steadily building a following at home and abroad, and you might have already seen them perform their eclectic, melodic rock jams on one of their several cross-country tours, or as openers for Wintersleep last summer.

Now, Walrus are back on the road and have delivered their first video ever for their song “Wearing It” from their upcoming Goodbye Something EP, set to be released later this month. The trippy and psychedelic four-minute clip from director Jeff Miller features kaleidoscopic visuals, a Beatles on Apple Studios rooftop recreation, the cold Nova Scotia winter and the band’s cats, Brian and Dash (“We couldn’t have done it without them,” jokes Miller).

Watch Walrus’s new video below and read on for an interview followed by the band’s tour dates:

“The song is about being trapped or caught up in the cycle of doing the same things all the time,” says Justin Murphy, Walrus guitarist and songwriter. “But also being content with that, and then also feeling that it’s wearing thin, too.”

“In the editing process, I drew from a lot of influences to create a ‘psychedelic mess,’ which meshes with their sound,” adds Miller. “The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion video for ‘Wail’ is where I got the idea for the last shot. Young Thug’s video for ‘With That’ inspired some of the editing, and the editing style of Doug Lussenhop (The Eric Andre Show, Tim and Eric, Portlandia) pretty much inspires all my projects.”

Walrus is now on a cross-Canada tour for a bunch of dates with Montreal-via-Halifax’s Wintersleep on both the east and west coasts.

“Getting to play with Wintersleep for the east coast shows was unreal,” says Murphy, “We’re super lucky to hop on their tour. We get to play for much bigger crowds than normal and Wintersleep are the funnest dudes to hang out with.”

Walrus also toured last summer with the longtime indie-rockers, who recently released their sixth album The Great Detachment on Dine Alone Records. Wintersleep’s single “Amerika” just hit #1 on the Billboard rock charts. On March 24th, Walrus opens for Wintersleep in Kelowna before more B.C. shows over the weekend.

“It’s been amazing so far,” says Murphy. “Except our van got towed once in Toronto, and in between Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay, a cop pulled us over because a gas station reported we stole gas. But we had our receipt.” Nice try, coppers.

“Wearing It” captures a lot of Walrus’s vibe, including Murphy’s Lennon-esque vocals, their former bassist Adam LeDrew and what it feels like to be stuck in the monotony of Halifax, day after day until you want to just get in your van and drive as far away as possible, without stealing gas.

Catch Walrus on tour at the following dates:

March 24: Kelowna – Habitat*
March 25: Vancouver – Commodore*
March 26: Victoria – Sugar Nightclub*
March 29: Edmonton – Starlite Room*
March 31: Winnpeg – Park Theatre*
April 3: Saskatoon^
April 4: Calgary^
April 5: Edmonton^
April 7: North Vancouver^
April 8: Vancouver^
April 11: Edmonton – The Buckingham
April 16: Udora^
April 22: Saint John – Pepper’s Pub
April 23: Fredericton – Flourish Festival
May 5 – Baltimore House, Hamilton
May 5-7 – Canadian Music Week, Toronto
May 9 – Le Minotaure, Gatineau
May 10 – Le Divan Orange, Montreal
May 11 – Sous-sol du Cercle, Quebec City
May 12 – TBD – Saguenay
May 13 – Ti-Petac, Trois-Rivieres
May 14 – La Petite Boite Noire, Sherbrooke
May 21: St Andrews – PaddleFest
July 8-10: Halifax – Gridlock Festival

* shows with Wintersleep
^ Madic Records house party tour