The Sea and Cake - Runner (Thrill Jockey)

Following in quick succession from last year's concise The Moonlight Butterfly, much of Runner is the sound of a band invigorated, but whose music nevertheless remains the aural equivalent of a favourite autumn sweater. The album starts briskly (relatively speaking) with 'On and On', powered back a chugging, almost motorik bassline, before second track - and album highlight - 'Harps' settles the band back into more familiar territory, with a minute-plus of gradually-building sequenced beats before Prekop's dreamy vocals kick in. 'Harbour Bridges', meanwhile, finds the band taking a sentimental nod to the end of summer.

The Sea and Cake - On And On


Parts of the album suffer from a greater degree of anonymity, and the final third of Runner has fewer stand-out moments until the dreamy, blissed-out title track draws the album to a close. Without exception though, the songs are light and airy, retaining an almost effortless feel to them, and the reflective, more ambient-influenced moments on the album are generally the strongest. As summer eases into autumn, Runner's sound is one of seasonal transition. Whilst being no big departure from much of the band's previous material, alongside recent reissues of their equally-charming back catalogue (2003's One Bedroom being a particular highlight), there is much here that warrants repeated listening.

Listen to Runner on Spotify below.