Last week, Halifax-based alt-rock band The Town Heroes released their new single “Queen”, a sneak peek of their upcoming album Home, set to release on August 20th. Mixed by Nico Essig (The Rolling Stones, Kings of Leon, Father John Misty), single “Queen” tells the story of that tourist girl and local boy meeting during a dance at the Strathlorne Hall. With the confidence gained from a river of sugary booze in his system, the boy asks the girl to dance. He learns that she’s from San Francisco, and it’s love at first sight.
Home is a concept album set across two weeks of a Cape Breton summer. Longing for what he left behind, a father returns to his hometown after moving to San Francisco for work. A young “local” boy falls for his daughter, and a short romance ensues. The 9 songs, told from 3 different perspectives, tell a chronological tale of coming home, youth, and ultimately, lost love.
Mike Ryan explains:
“I wanted to make an album that paid tribute to small-town Cape Breton in the summer. It was such a magical time when your tiny, quiet hometown was suddenly overflowing with new people, energy and endless possibilities. The exact story of the album is fictional, but I know that myself and countless others have experienced variations of it. It’s inevitable that at that time in our life, we experience those coming of age realities: so many firsts, carefree days, and — in your own eyes, at least — having the world at your fingertips.”
About “Queen”, Ryan also shares:
“Every song comes to me in a different way. Sometimes it takes five minutes, and sometimes I’m picking away at it for multiple months. ‘Queen’ was the latter. I knew instantly that this could be a really good song, and it took a lot of time crafting each individual part to fit the song and do it justice.”
Releasing this August 20, Home captures the energy and spirit of a youthful summer and coming of age. It’s a soundtrack for the summer that’s relatable and, most importantly during the current locked-down world we live in: fun. It’s a time before the internet and social media, when you talked face-to-face or on a landline you prayed wasn’t answered by cross-examining parents.
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