Run

Foxglove

Single Review

Written by Luke Knowles

Every now and again I’ll hear a song and immediately picture it at the main stage of a festival being belted out by thousands of enthusiastic and slightly intoxicated fans (I have a pretty active imagination). So when the indie pop troubadours of the north Foxglove pointed me in the direction of their latest release Run. I got to have that tingling feeling of hearing something anthem all over again. Hailing from Manchester the band embodies everything i’ve grown to love from the thriving Manchester indie scene but added their own unique Country edge to the whole thing to create something akin to Taylor Swift if she’d moved to Salford and become obsessed with the Gallagher brothers.

The track opens with a combination of an atmospheric picking riff on the guitar and the clear strong vocals of lead singer Abi White. While the guitar carries an almost shimmering effect on it it also has an undercurrent of sonic rust that gives it a real twang. This blending of brit pop sounds steeped in the whiskey tones of Country is a staple of Foxglove‘s sound and for me gives them the edge against other indie pop bands. As the song swings into its rhythm through a fluidic yet present bass line and the Lynch pin of a rock steady drum line the song breaks into its big indie pop sound. Even at this point however, while it is still what we’d call indie pop, I’d venture that it is slightly more than that.

As the song builds to its big repeated refrain “….how did  I let it go…” the song takes on an almost nostalgic edge with late 70’s early 80’s inspired soundings. Whether intentional or not what the band manage to achieve in this moment is something that elevates the song and intertwine its theme and composition into one entity. To add context. The song carries the message of reflecting on a life lived that hasn’t quite followed the trajectory you’d hoped. Knowing this and listening to the wistful hopes delivered by Abi during the verses the release of the previously mentioned section really adds depth to the distant calls of “…How did I let it go….” And blending in thsoe nostalgic tones really lets you emphasise with the lyric as it is called out across the track. This also creates a pleasant compliment to the more country angled verses.

Overall Run is a song that truly captures so many emotions and musical influences and combines them into one streamlined release that would truly be home at any festival. Its a song that after a bad day you can hit play on and blast it out to your hearts content, screaming those lines ‘How did I let it go’. Personally, it is both bitter sweet but filled with an undercurrent of cautious determination to not waste anymore time. This is definitely a band with a bright future and bags of potential. Well, thats what I think anyway. So give it al listen and see if you agree.

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