Tommy Ashby - “Running”

When last we heard from Tommy Ashby, he had just released the seventh single from his debut album, Lamplighter, which is now available everywhere. And because he’s made such an everlasting impact on our blog, we would be remiss not to include the touching lead track: “Running.”

In light of Ashby’s PhD in psychoacoustics, it comes as very little surprise that his music has such an emotional effect on the listener. And while his last single, “When Love Goes Dark,” did, in fact, take us to a darker place, “Running” brings quite the opposite reaction, maintaining a positive, upbeat rhythm for its duration, even during the simple piano intro. Ashby’s gift for writing heartfelt indie folk songs is matched here with his ability to craft a tune that falls inside the indie pop genre, given its more commercial nature, such as the sound one might find inside the work of Vance Joy or Ben Howard.

Beneath all of that, “Running” contains the same Ashby we’ve all come to know and love, giving the listener his divine falsetto and carrying us away on the gentle breeze of his upper register. The track is completely saturated in sound and its heightened pace actually causes one to imagine the act of running. So if you’re like us, and often seek some sort of escape from the remnants of a long winter, slip “Running” into your playlist when you take your afternoon walk and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.

-TM