Out Run – Angels (2024)
Drawing together and celebrating the energy, beauty and fragility of life, the Italian trio Out Run meld vintage and contemporary synth-pop with electric flair. An enigmatic group, Ginevra Abbarchini (vocals), Niccolo Messeri (drums) and multi-instrumentalist Lawrence Fancelli offer a “unique combination of retro nostalgia and modern charm”; this is our first experience of that charm. Yet, while we are fresh ears to Out Run, the band has turned heads internationally reaching far beyond their Italian borders. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Angels’.
Following the well-received 2023 single ‘The Killing Disapproval’, Out Run reached back to Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys with the self-produced ‘Angels’, but with an authentic originality to the track. Tossing you immediately into a sonic whirlpool, shimmering synths wrap about you with glittering kaleidoscopic wonder. Yet, as much as you can lose yourself in the warm synth, ‘Angels’ belies a certain vulnerability and brashness in the electronic beats – particularly as it trails out at the ending. Out Run explains:
“Our music arises from the tension between past and present. With ‘Angels’ we wanted to create something both melancholic and full of life – a celebration of human fragility.”
I find it intriguing that the various Out Run songs embrace a similar 80s synth-pop style, but each presents individuality in the context. Unlike ‘The Killing Disapproval’, ‘Angels’ leans further toward a lighter, gentler retro-ness despite its profound theme. Out Run embraces the harshness of vulnerability yet celebrates the twinkling hope playing on the surface – a masterful understanding of the interplay between sonic complexity and simplicity.
So, what is my overall opinion of Out Run and ‘Angels’? Confident but subdued; hushed but vibrant; gregarious but calming – Out Run offers it all in their latest single. I am eager to hear more from the Italian trio and recommend you keep an ear on them as well.
Find out more about Out Run on their official website, Instagram and Spotify.
Listen to more electropop music on The Other Side Reviews Electropop playlist:
