I played Awkward Breeds into the ground but was pretty lukewarm on about half of Runners. I am LOVING this though. Don't Feel Like Dancing, Medium in the Middle (that little mid-verse riff!), and Serpent in a Sun Drought are all phenomenal.
This album fucking rules. Runners wasn’t an immediate record for me whatsoever but everything about this is hitting all the right spots for me from first listen. Love Agnello’s work on this too, way prefer it to the production approach of Runners.
Runners still means so much to me, I wish other people felt the connection to it I do, but then again, it was a record I wasn't expecting from a band I'd never heard. And this record is wonderful as well
Feels like I won’t be able to properly compare my feelings on the two for, I don’t know, a year or so. Runners is an all-time favorite of mine, but it became so slowly over a long period of time. This new one is fantastic though, and, like Runners, I can sense that I’ll be listening to it a whole, whole lot. Closer is definitely one of my favorite songs this year.
Really surprised so many people connect/like Runners more than Awkward Breeds and Weight of Air. I love Runners but I don't think it competes with either
I got into them thru Awkward Breeds (around the time of that triple tour with Menzos and the band who shall not be named) and I loved a few songs on it but it wasn’t a huge fav. After Runners came out I went back and connected with it more and also w/ Weight of Air. But I do think they really found/perfected their sound on Runners.
This is starting to sink in, love love love the front half, to the point where I usually don’t go past weed tent. That’ll likely change. Haven’t seen it brought up much but I think mix for rainy day is one of their best tracks. still unsure about some of the vocal melodies, slightly clunky here and there (my biggest problem w the second half), but lyrically this thing is a stunner, between those and the interludes/shorter tracks, this record just feels very cared for
the chorus of Serpent in a Sun Drought has been in my head for days but it keeps coming out as Satan in a Sundress
I like pre-Awkward Breeds stuff but none of it has ever hit me the way the last three albums have. Runners is a beautiful, sad record. The end of the bridge in Rainy Day is one of my favorite moments on the album Actually, add the end of the choruses in Mix for Rainy Day to that list too
I think the reason I connect with this so much only after three listens is because it actually reminds me a lot of Weatherbox at times. Specifically Flies era.
I had that exact thought listening to this yesterday. Something about the vocals in the closer reminded me of Weatherbox.