The casual listener could be forgiven for assuming that Runaway, the latest single released by The Loving Palms, was written and recorded on some sunny coast of Hawaii, but look a little closer at the liner notes and you’ll find that this eclectic, lazily-cool tune was forged in a decidedly chillier collaboration between Yorkshire, Scotland and, thanks to sublime slide guitar playing courtesy of Christine Bougie, Canada.
The Loving Palms are James Littlewood and Marcus Wilson, a musical partnership that has worked with a vast array of guest musicians over the years but who decided to take a break from recording and performing for a few years to pursue other interests. Now they’re back and a return to the euphoric sound of early songs Winter Tide and Greenpark runs deep in their latest offering.
The sound of a lulling tide brushing against an unforeseen beach sets Runaway’s summery mood. Mechanical beats, fat bass and tranquil piano tinkering mesh to provide Marcus Wilson with the ideal backdrop for his robust, crooning vocal delivery. “Barcelona sunrise/ Sleeping in my shoes/ A shadow on a summer morn/ With nothing left to lose” he sings, stirring up trippy images of far off lands. The guitar work, as mentioned earlier, is incredible; a wall of elegant picking overlapped with treacly slide from Toronto-based session musician Christine Bougie, a friend of the duo. Her contribution to Runaway is enormous.
A fantastic chill-out song with a graceful composition, Runaway is a worthy addition to anyone’s musical collection. There is an air of Pink Floyd in the song’s beautiful guitar work and also a sense of longing in its lyrics. A memorable chorus and an outro of sombre guitar licks, almost reflective in their sad tone, solidify Runaway as a great single. Good stuff from the newly rejuvenated The Loving Palms.
7/10
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