Run Run Run’s debut album Hoon invites us to frolic outside of predictable Spotify playlists.
The experimental 7-track LP is an immense adventure. If guitars were slinky rivers and synths were subterranean valleys, HOON treks through them with abandon. Not with sheer recklessness, but with freedom. Free from time, gravity and expectation. In effect, rock organ track “Fast Forwarding” feels like a train clacking across the countryside. Imagine feet hanging out the windows as the song’s repetition passes. Similarly, “Repercussion” is a guitar-jangled swerve across ruinous vocal chants. Furthermore, Run Run Run take their time with both songs clocking in over 7-minutes.
The sparseness of Hoon harks to the band’s origins in Guiyang, the southwest mountain land of China. Likewise, tracks like “Fireball” candidly blends psychedelia and minimalism. Intimate and unconstrained, it evokes the “off the beaten track” wanderlust. However, beyond its catchy repetition, the album’s real magic is in the pauses and slowdowns. In the same way, the album is best enjoyed when you take a moment to breathe in the air.
Hoon is out now through Maybe Mars. Check out more epicness from Run Run Run on Spotify.