Single Review: Run Into You

It has been a couple of years since I last came across Sam Loveridge and his excellent album, Clarity, and in the intervening time he has turned himself into a full band. At the time of that album release, AAA label boss TeMatera Smith could not stop talking about it, so it is no surprise at all that the new single, Run Into You, was recorded at Red Room Studio by Jamie Crerar, mastered by Chris Chetland at Kog, and again released by AAA. With Clarity I said that he reminded me of Mumford & Sons, but while there is still that influence, this has moved more into the mainstream with attention on Sam’s clear vocals and the keyboards of Bhagirath Prutvi.

The focus when the song commences is Sam’s delicate picked guitar and vocals, with the rest gradually coming in and then really making their presence felt in the chorus. There is a huge amount of space in this song, and an allowance for each instrument to be given the correct focus. This means that at some points in the song the most important musical element is the delicately picked banjo, at others the drums or bass, but always Sam’s vocals are right at the front. When he goes high there is an edge, which provides that additional element of bite and realism which really works.

Sam had the inspiration for the song one night when walking home from. He had been reflecting on a girl he had recently met at a coffee shop, when he saw her car parked on a side road, and all the emotions he had been feeling came to the fore. He was in a happy relationship, didn’t want to leave, yet each day he got coffee in the shop he would meet the same girl who he could not pursue further. As this happened the chorus, lyrics and tune came to him, along with the opening guitar riff, and the next day the song was written, a vehicle to escape the negative emotion, creating a snapshot of what had been a great feeling and continue with life relatively unphased.

This deep emotion comes through in the song, which is almost a cry to the universe, yet at the same time there is the knowledge that while he would like to run into the person, nothing would go any further. The musical hooks are massive, with the vocals in the chorus both plaintive and powerful. This single is from the debut album for the band, Recovery, which is due out in November, and I can’t wait.