Interview: run, WALK!

Having been gathering a frenzy of admiration and followers over the past few months, run, WALK! are gearing up to attack the senses once more with the imminent release of a new split record with SIRS. So after our ears stop ringing, Bearded decided to have a quick chat with bassist/vocalist Matt to see just why the band are brewing up such a storm of excitement,

You’re calling yourself ‘Intense Death Drone’. Is this to prepare people for your visceral onslaught or are you trying to put people off?
Ha! It’s a bit of a joke to be honest. We got reviewed in a magazine last year and a writer called us that and we just decided it was cool.

Apart from being difficult to find on search engines, where does the run, WALK! moniker come from?
I’m going to be honest. I really can’t remember. I wish there was some awesome story behind it but it was something I came up with when I was 15. It means nothing and is annoying to write.

You’ve been playing for a few years now and you’re still relatively young. How have you found the music industry thus far?
I absolutely love it, in the past we’ve had to deal with a lot of troublesome people who only hold you back. It’s just a case of meeting the right people who can represent you in the not-so-nice situations.

Being just the two of you guys, you must have a high tolerance of each other when working and touring. Is it all about compromise and adapting, or do you let all your concerns/issues out?
I think we’re too polite for our own good. We’re not similar in personality that much but we don’t conflict. Over the years we’ve become best friends and if there’s ever an issue whether it be with each other or something else we always sort it out there and then. Also because we very rarely travel with other people when touring it gives us no chance to take sides with anyone else but each other.

Would you add another member to expand your sound, or is it all about doing it yourselves?
When I started the band it was all about seeing how far I could take the sound of bass and drums. In the past we’ve used keyboards and glockenspiel on recordings but never live. So no, it’s not an option.

Your music is very intense, how does this equate itself to your live show?
Usually by really long pauses in between songs and re-swallowing our dinner. When we play we want to give it our all, most of the time that is too much.

You’ve got a split record coming out with SIRS. How did this come about and what can we expect from it?
Topshelf Records is my absolute favourite America record label. We’d always kind of chatted on the internet and stuff. When we found out we were going to SXSW we immediately had to organise to meet up with them. So we met and we got on well. When we got home we decided to work together and Topshelf put SIRS forward for a split release, of course we couldn’t turn down the offer!

It’s also coming out on 7” and download, that’s a way of sampling the older days of manufacturing (7”) with the modern age (download). Do you think the CD is now a lost cause? Does the media you use to get your music out there matter to you?
CD is not a lost cause, nor is it redundant. I think it’s a matter of circumstance. If I can afford it, I prefer to buy stuff on vinyl purely because it’s bigger; it’s something more to hold. But I will rarely listen to it, it’s mainly for physical purposes. Because I cherish holding and having releases so much I’m keen to make our own releases available in a nice format. Saying that we have done a download only release but we have plans for a physical re-release of it. Maybe.

You’re signed to Holy Roar records, and are mixed in with some of the most exciting hardcore bands around. Does being surrounded by these luminaries make you strive to make greater music? What are your influences to make your music?
It is incredibly exciting to be involved with Alex and Ellen as they are responsible for some incredible bands. Musically we can’t really relate to any of the bands on the Holy Roar roster at the moment but being involved in such a tight-knit community where people work so hard to make things work and are always striving for the next step certainly makes us work harder. I can’t speak for Tom but I’ve been into a lot of heavy stuff for the majority of my life. My mum has photos of me head banging to Nirvana as a child. Recently I’ve been getting into a lot more melodic stuff. Think Paul Simon, The Beach Boys, Best Coast but then also a lot of black metal.

When should we be expecting an album from you guys? Will you be able to fit all of your ideas onto one single disc?
We’re working on it now. I can’t say at all when it’ll be available as these things get delayed every day but I’d say we’re ½ through writing it. For the album we’ve kind of concentrated our sound into something that’s hopefully easier to digest. Still there will be absolute thrashy songs, slower melodic ones and even some instrumental / ambient / drone ones. I’m incredibly excited to see how it turns out.

run,WALK! / Sirs split 7" on Holy Roar and Topshelf Records is released October 10th