Making a name as the biggest breakthrough artists on the international Americana scene in 2021 with their debut album, Go By Feel, Canadian country/roots collective The Hello Darlins are some of Canada’s most in-demand session musicians who came together to forge a distinct hybrid of country, gospel and blues. Led by Romani-Canadian musician Candace Lacina and world-renowned keyboardist Mike Little, the group released In the Sunset this past March and are now sharing an official music video for the EP’s “What Is a Broken Heart For?“

A playful and upbeat song reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt, with classic harmonies of the Eagles, “What Is a Broken Heart For?” poses a lighthearted question that we may have all asked at some point during a time of heartache – what’s the point of love if only to experience a broken heart? The visuals were filmed on a chilly spring day in the Alberta Foothills and directed by The Hello Darlins‘ friends James and Libertee May with Lacina‘s 1971 VW van as the storyline’s main set.

We caught up with The Hello Darlins below!

1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically? 

It was meant to be a playful, upbeat song reminiscent of Linda Ronstadt, with classic harmonies of the Eagles. It’s a lighthearted question that we may have all asked at some point during a time of heartache – what’s the point of love – only to experience a broken heart? We love to write songs that are emotional, melancholy and heartfelt but sometimes it feels good to just have a fun song that is just lighthearted and has a playful groove and melody!  

2. What was the inspiration behind this video(visuals, storyline, etc.)? 

We brainstormed a few different ideas for locations, but the van is really meaningful to Mike. It also captures such a classic visual from the era – and we thought the red van against the white snow looked cool. We also thought it would be a funny storyline to add characters who, in their own way, represent the meaning of the song. At some point, most people have had the experience of meeting someone new,  thinking it was going to work out perfectly, or happily ever after…only to be disappointed – or – even, left in the dust! 

3. What was the process of making this video?

We filmed it on a chilly spring day in Alberta Foothills! We had a framework of the basic storyline, and our friends James and Libertee May filmed and directed the shoot. We used our 1971 VW van as a main ‘set’ for the storyline – and the members of the band played a role. My favourite characters are Brett – as a vacuum salesman, and Kyle as a bad Elvis. As a band, we have a lot of fun and laugh a lot. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so we decided to release a video that captured some of that.