Running Young

Running Young was formed after lead singer Joel survived emergency open‐heart surgery at just 25 years of age. “I should have died before I even got to hospital because my aorta basically just popped like a balloon,” says Joel. “I spent two weeks in intensive care fighting for my life and, somehow, miraculously made it through.” The track ‘Out of Time’ was written about this harrowing time in Joel’s life. According to his doctors, with all of the post‐op complications factored in, his chances of survival sat at around 2‐3%, but it seemed it wasn’t his time to go. “After coming that close to death you tend to gain some insight into what you want out of life and how lucky you are to still be a runner in the human race”, says Joel. “I decided what I wanted out of life was to be true to my heart for whatever time I had left and also to see if I could encourage others to do the same. The best way I knew how to both of those things was to start a band!” With that goal in mind he began writing and recording songs in his bedroom and shared them online. Over the next 12 months he met with dozens of musicians and in mid 2014 the line‐up was finalised to include; Joel Famularo ‐ lead vocals/bass, Ben Williams ‐ keys/vocals, Benjamin Cropper ‐ guitar/vocals, Shahn Colliver - guitar/vocals and John Bellew on the drums. Their unique sound blends 60s style four part harmonies with music that would feel right at home in a stadium today if and when given the chance. “It’s like if the Beach Boys, Bon Iver, U2 and The Cure all got together and had a baby, and that baby had a doppelgänger, we’d bear a passing resemblance to that doppelgänger”, laughs Joel. “The goal was to mix in familiar elements but in an unfamiliar way.” The band began turning heads both locally and abroad, with their debut single ‘Out of Time’ being featured in an episode of the hit American TV show ‘Shameless’. On the back of this, the EDM Network posted the track through their newly devised ‘Pop’ channel, taking only eight days to reach 20,000 plays. The band then finished off 2014 by sharing the stage with HUSKY after winning the Ben & Jerry’s Battle of the Bands. “With intricate four part harmonies and an unique rock sound, this is a band to keep your eye on.” ‐ The AU Review “There’s a desperate clutching to life on each track on the EP. And that exultant desperation is clinged with a mix of 80s U2 bombast, Phil Spector walls of sound, and the intimacy of the best modern songwriters"‐ Baeble Music (US) “We Are The Sons promises to be one of the most inspiring EPs we’ll hear this Autumn.” – Tone Deaf With their debut EP out now and plenty of live dates booked, the band will have a lot on their plates. However, they will be keeping it simple and focused, “Basically, we just love timeless music and we think the world could use some more, so we’re going to try our best to hit that mark.” Indie Rock Band | Melbourne, Australia