On Tuesday, February 27th, rock band Dirty Honey released a music video for their song “Coming Home (The Ballad of the Shire)” from their newest album Can’t Find the Breaks. The song gives the listener a peak into the more vulnerable side of the group as the ballad contains themes of regret, longing and love. The music video artistically uses cinematography and imagery to emphasize these themes as well as the nostalgic ‘70s rock feel that inspired the group’s music.
The video begins with shots of guitarist John Notto settling on the porch of a small cabin with his guitar before he starts the song off. Then, scenes fade into one another as lead singer Marc Labelle is introduced in various sequences that show him taking an old-fashioned train up north and singing in several landscapes throughout America. This works to create a nostalgic Americana feel, with scenes taking place in Arizona, Washington, and Colorado.
As the song introduces more instruments, the other members of the band are revealed throughout the video. Bassist Justin Smolian is introduced at the midway point of the video, quickly followed by drummer Justin Bean using brushes on a snare to add in some softer percussion. These introductions draw attention to how the instruments collaborate with Labelle’s voice to build up to the climax of the song.
In recent press release, Labelle gives some insight as to what the action of “coming home” means to him, stating that “’Home’ has become wherever it is that we’re playing music, rather than a particular place.” This is made clear in the final scene of the “Coming Home” music video, as it concludes with Labelle performing with his bandmates, powerfully concluding the song with the phrase that gives the song its title: “I’m coming home.”
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