Canadian supergroup, Anyway Gang are back with their new single, “Alternate View”, their first single since 2019’s debut self-titled album. Out once more via Royal Mountain Records, it’s a psychedlic-inspired pop-rock banger from the Canadian four-piece made up of Chris Murphy (Sloan), Menno Versteeg (Hollerado), Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club), and Sam Roberts (Sam Roberts Band).
With a swarming and expansive narrative, paired with an excellent animated video by Justin Hess, Versteeg explores what it means to move on in the face of loss, to continue to persevere through heartbreak, and to examine events from different perspectives to gain a fuller understanding.
On the track, he explains:
“This is the story of a fortune teller named Hyacinthe, who was raised in the circus by her father, the lion tamer. One day, Hyacinthe looks into her crystal ball and sees her father being eating by the lions. Despite her pleading, her father refuses to look in the ball to see his blood soaked fate. Sure enough, the gruesome scene transpires and her father is eaten alive.“
He continues,
“Hyacinthe is tormented by nightmares and in every fortune she reads she sees nothing but darkness. On a stormy night outside of Denton, TX, she is walking by the lion cage. The beasts whisper to her, to stick her head in their cage so they can end her suffering. As her life flashes before her eyes, she immediately regrets choosing to end her life, but as she recoils, her head gets stuck between the bars of the cage and she blacks out. Fortunately, the Contortionist named Karloff sees this happening and uses his powers of contortionism to climb into the cage and help free her head from the bars.”
“She awakes with a new outlook. Karloff is constantly standing on his head or walking on his hands and the two of them discuss the importance of looking at everything from a different angle. In a circus life, an alternate view, and a friend to share it with, is the only thing that can keep you sane. That’s the story of Hyacinthe and The Contortionist.“
Check out the video for “Alternate View” below, and stay up to date with Anyway Gang via their socials.