“Don’t Walk Away” is the debut single from The Heavy Hours. The song is reminiscent of a classic, pop rock group. Their video’s first shot is of the band’s name on the drum kit which pans out to the Cincinnati quartet playing on stage. The Beatles preforming on The Ed Sullivan Show or American Bandstand with Dick Clark comes to mind even though those images are way before my time. The band members are long-time friends but they could be brothers. I’m categorizing their style as a modern, hippie/grunge with them all sporting mustaches, three having shoulder length hair and the same uniform of t-shirts, denim jackets and lace up, work boots. The video is carefree with boys being boys. They mischievously use the freeway overpass, caged walkway as monkey bars, play base and alley stick ball, backflip adventurously into a lake, sing in a speeding truck bed, scale buildings and jokingly grab as well as hang on each other. Again, there are nods to The Beatles with the group walking in a straight line like the penultimate Abbey Road album cover. You can feel the fun and lightheartedness in every frame.
The song doesn’t disappoint either. It was co-written with Dan Auerbach, front man of The Black Keys. It is an excellent introduction to The Heavy Hours’ musical prowess. The chorus is catchy but not overdone. The lyrics are sweet. “If you’re the ocean, I’ll be the stars. Shine on you wherever you are. If you’re the needle, I’ll be the thread and put us back together again. You got me running, out of my mind. You got me begging for a piece of your time. You got me sleeping behind the wheel. Well, give me something that I can feel.” Their no nonsense, a tad country, down to earth vocals to the simplistic instrumentals just work. The Heavy Hours’ sound is nostalgic with a creative, modern twist. I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
“Hey, don’t walk away. Don’t’ be afraid to say you’ll take me back someday. I got to have faith. That’s why I pray that you don’t walk away.” Hell, I wouldn’t walk away. Every girl (well, at least this one), would go Beatles mania (high pitched shrieking, frenzied mobbing and even snotty tears) nuts for a guy who wrote a song about them. (Past boyfriends, I’m disappointed I wasn’t worthy of a tune.) Here’s a tip. If you have any musical ability and want to get laid, we are suckers for this type of blatant flattery and attention. Cheers to The Heavy Hours for creating a great song, but also making some girl’s dreams come true.
