Run,
WALK! are a band that are incredibly hard to pigeon hole no matter how much
fans of all genres they encompass (hardcore, punk, noise-rock, grunge, indie)
will try. Consisting of Matthew Pickering-Copley (bass, vocals) and Tom
Clements (drums), the duo have created a sound that is both chaotic and loud,
harnessing post-hardcore intensity and unpredictable feedback. Despite their
clear talents, the band decided to call it a day after their final performance
at the 2000 Trees Festival on the 13th of July, and this album
arrived just a few days later via Holy Roar Records.
Say
what you like about two-pieces (The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Death From
Above 1979, Blood Red Shoes), but when it’s done right, it really does work.
Run, WALK! have most of the elements down for a successful duo, however (as
demonstrated in this album) their sound struggles to fall nicely in between
genres. Sure, it has it’s own niche, but it’s a niche carved out from so many
other influences that it feels lost at times.
The
album starts with an atmospheric series of layered instruments dancing over the
same melody, evoking something mysterious which is soon blown out of the water
with first official track ‘Blank Canvas’, which includes the bass taking the
listener on a bizarre indie jaunt, low-end good-time melodies with a streak of
post-hardcore running through it like a colourful vein. The yelped vocals add
considerable intensity, making this track feel like many heavy music genres
rammed into a noisy blender.
‘Black
Dreams’ has a catchy pop lick with a bouncing beat, the shouted vocals and
crunchy bass having definitive punk ethics while including an undercurrent of
modern hardcore music. It’s an odd yet appealing combination, and this track is
a non-stop thrill ride. ‘Out Of The Blue’ has off-time beats, riffs that
stop-start like progressive metal behemoths. Other than that, this track does
feel overfamiliar as some variation with the bass sound could have been used.
It seems to revisit the ground of the previous two songs, as does the next
song, ‘I Don’t Know What The Real World Is Like’. This track has muted strings,
drilled drums and jumping riffs, but it seems to use the same template. The
screamed vocals are feral and visceral, but at this point in the album there is
a nagging feeling that wonders what clean vocals would have sounded like on
this record.
‘Dead
Room’ keeps a post-hardcore groove and finally feels like Run, WALK! are
getting down to serious business. It’s short (at less than two minutes in
length), snappy and fast, hitting hard and lasting long in the memory. ‘Warm
Skin’ has a party atmosphere with the added ‘oomph’ coming from the assault of
the vocals. Another considerably groovy track that is strange yet exhilarating.
‘Lose All Your Fear’ does little more than mimic previous songs, feeling
stagnant at this point in the album. There are no new tricks or risky moves,
just another take on the Run, WALK! niche that feels incredibly underwhelming.
An
interlude in the form of ‘/////’ provides feedback, white noise and various
tones before the final track ‘Under A Rock’ which is just like everything that
has been heard before but on a grander scale. It continues the fury heard
previously in the record and builds incessantly, using a repeating bass line
and distortion that adds beef to the sound. The song structure works well but
the build up never seems to reach the heights that is clearly striving for.
Run,
WALK! may have called it a day, and although it would be harsh to say it is for
good reason, there isn’t much here that suggests they would’ve been capable of
going the distance. The album is chaotic and frenzied, but doesn’t have enough
identity to make it unique. It’s an exciting listen in places but altogether
feels disappointing.
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