Chicago-based band Red Scarves showcase a hooky rock sound on new single “Runner,” depicting the experience of feeling graceless and alien in social situations. A video released alongside, visually representing a sense of being overwhelmed by obligations and commitments. This is an impressive, melodic showing from Red Scarves, comprising Braden Poole, Ayethaw Tun, Ryan Donlin, and Robby Kuntz.
Excitable percussion and moody guitar stutters escalate into a thumping fervency. “We got a runner,” enthused vocals repeat, with the “running in corduroys,” sequence bringing forth delectably contagious guitar work into the “like a monkey’s paw,” hook. The soaring guitars and developing charisma consume throughout this concisely satiating rock success.
They elaborate on the effort’s creative process:
When I wrote “Runner,” I was delivering pizza. I was running to my car from a delivery on a cold, dry winter day. The sound my corduroys were making as I was running reminded me of strangers shouting at me to scare me or make fun of me as I ran, which happened kind of often in high school and college.
I’ve often felt like I’ve been missing some important detail in understanding other people and social rules. I feel like I have to contort and exert myself in uncomfortable, unnatural ways to accomplish things that seem to come naturally to most. I have strength and kindness, but in a weird, alien way that has to go through a rough translation algorithm to be expressible.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Rock.
