By Will Yannacoulias
Yesterday saw the release of the third single from Ritual Rabbits’ new EP The Middle Of Somewhere, the haunting lament “Romeo With Braids”. Ritual Rabbits founder Clint Walper wrote to us about the personal events behind the song and collaborating with other artists in our isolated new world.
Walper shared that “’Romeo With Braids’ is the first and only time I’ve ever written a song where I had a conscious narrative in mind as I sat down with my guitar. It’s a not-so-subtle lament of a gal I was duped by in the ol’ wicked game of l-o-v-e. It’s a super simple tune that’s built around the same four chords from start to finish, but I’m really proud of how it unfolds. There’s a lot of melodic variability as it moves along and it eventually builds to this crescendo of me literally calling the girl out by name. I considered changing her name but I’m glad I didn’t. So hey Laura, if you’re still out there, I’m grateful for our experience because it birthed one of my top 3-5 favourite Ritual Rabbits songs. You were a turd, but I forgive you.”
The video is a collaboration between Walper and Saskatoon film student Cameron Heo (cameronheo.com). Walper spoke glowingly of Heo’s vision for the video. “Back in late January a fella by the name of Cameron Heo slid into our DM’s and offered to do a music video for us because he’d discovered, and dug, our music. You never know if these types of offers will turn into an absolute disaster, but Cam created a dazzling piece of art that fits oh so snugly with this romantic train wreck lament. And despite never meeting in person due to COVID, we made it work and fostered a cute little collaboration.”
“Romeo In Braids”, along with the album The Middle Of Somewhere, is available on all streaming services.