Hillsburn have spent a lot of time on the road this year. They’ve toured across the country nearly incessantly, as anyone who follows their Instagram can tell you. That’s a lot of time for five humans to be trapped in a van together. Despite a healthy amount of van laps, that time can add up and result in passive aggressive behaviours that vent and manifest in unusual ways—like music videos. ‘Strange Clouds‘ is the newest single from Hillsburn’s upcoming LP The Wilder Beyond, and while we haven’t consulted a psychologist, we think the video might say something about the current state of the band.
The video for ‘Strange Clouds’ follows Hillsburn’s vocalist Rosanna Burrill as she runs through the forest, being chased by her mask-wearing bandmates. Burrill reaches a point where she accepts that she can’t run forever and must finally confront her bandmates disguised as her fears disguised as her bandmates.
“We’re excited to start sharing this music,” says Burrill of The Wilder Beyond, which the band spent a year making. “It’s something different. There are more layers.”
Layers… like the complicated interpersonal, inter-band struggles, griefs and grudges one accumulates while trapped in a steel cube being whipped from province to province, show after show.
“Strange Clouds is about hanging on and standing up and fighting back, even when you feel like you’re drowning,” says singer Rosanna Burrill. “Some days that’s harder than others, but we have to keep trying.”
At one point Burrill can be seen shouting “Strike up the drummer!” at percussionist Clare Macdonald, who has acted as a particular aggressor in the video, going so far as to literally hound Burrill while wearing a wolf mask. We’re no psychologists, but could these be signs of dissension within the band?
Hillsburn have released a series of tour dates for the remainder of the year and well into 2018, but if they can keep it together additional Canadian dates will be announced soon, along with more information about the album release. The Wilder Beyond is due out February 2nd, 2018.
Tour Dates:
11.03.17 – Truro, NS @ Nova Scotia Music Week
01.18.18 – Montreal, QC @ Divan Orange
01.19.18 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre
01.20.18 – Fredericton, NB @ Shivering Songs Festival
03.03.18 – East Margaretsville, NS @ Evergreen Theatre
03.08.18 – Waterbury, VT @ Zenbarn
03.10.18 – Windsor, NS @ Mermaid Theatre