Last May the Los Angeles quartet Run Run Run released their first full-length CD Endless Winter that solidified the band’s melancholy disposition and corresponding vocals. This summer, Run Run Run’s newest release Good Company EP reveals a lighter sound created by crystal-clear engineering and poppier instrumentation, and occasionally encounters a musically major mode though the lyrics are as despondent as ever. The cover features a black and white portraiture: a living room furnished by odd home décor, a grated window backdrop, a twisted floral centerpiece, and an eerie raven photograph; and the band decked out in solid black formal attire, posing nonchalantly and auguring the grave nature of Good Company.
“Julie,” a brilliant track that tenderly reflects on a real-life tragedy, expectation crushed by unforeseen loss, and unfulfilled salvation, opens the five-track EP. The introductory echoing and enticing slide guitar morphs into beautifully crafted melodies overlain with echoing guitars blended with glittering distortion and prominent bass reverberations that mirror the story’s solemn themes. The frustration of loss felt in the previous track reappears in the reactive “Words” whose lyrics utter harsh demands, “shut your mouth, shut your mouth,” and rants, “all these lies, they just sound like good-byes…,” that culminate in a full-band vocal coda. Accompanied by syncopated rhythms, a blend of smooth and staccato guitar, and a fusion of melodic and ire-tinged vocals, “Words” asserts itself as a potent EP highlight. Good Company takes a “Twist,” to a romantic slow-dance aura created by a steady pulsating beat, swaying arpeggio melodies with heart-wrenching modulations, and lyrics expressive of conflicting desires through dance imagery. An energetic title track “Good Company” with its uplifting façade follows. Get ready to be “bouncing off the walls.” This lively sound, however, masks emotional emptiness despite seemingly idyllic companionship with a consummate “new love.” Good Company concludes with “On My Way.” Its opening high-pitched feedback swells into rigid riffs and sinister melodies composed in parallel to the vocal and guitar harmonies. The song’s protagonist never finds a “way back home,” and similarly, the EP ends on a minor chord that wanders into silence. And yet, like a good guest, Runx3’s partnership of music and lyrics will linger far into the heart of the listener.
Despite subtle transformations in their image and sound, Run Run Run have maintained their mesmerizing mystique and enigmatic mood on the Good Company EP. Find (purchase) Good Company at www. discrevolt.com/runrunrun.
For blogs, photos, bios, press, videos, and information on upcoming shows, please visit www.myspace.com/runrunrun, www.virb.com/runrunrun, www.imeem.com/runrunrun, and www.runrunrunmusic.blogspot.com.
