Running Touch was one of the most exciting electronic breakouts of 2016, dropping a string of immense singles and playing just about every festival in the country as a result.
Now, the elusive producer has dropped his latest creation ‘Lovely’, and announced his debut EP A Body Slow, which will emerge on March 31st.
“Something I wanted to work on in my music that is a significant weak point for me is ‘meaning’,” he says of his new works. “Not that my songs lack meaning, but it’s more about trying to be more ‘objective’ rather than subjective and vague for the sake of pretty words.”
“‘Lovely’ is a compilation of stories fed from three friends and myself – it’s the first time I’ve sourced a story and I love it because they’re friends, I love the stories so it was a lot easier for me to try channel what I feel they think, or what atmosphere they would imagine for this particular song. In some cases we’ve actually been together in these stories so it’s a special feeling to immortalise that.”
He released a self-produced mini-doco several weeks back featuring parts of the track, and delving into his methods and philosophies, but it’s only now that the full version has been released.
The super-polished mini-doco shows off a huge creative drive
The upcoming EP will cap off a pretty huge few months for Running Touch, as he finished up a festival-heavy year with appearances at Beyond The Valley and Southbound, and cracked the triple j Hottest 200 with his single ‘Aubrey’.
Not only that, but his work with Melbourne post-hardcore outfit Ocean Grove didn’t go unrecognised either, as the band’s awesome genre-shattering debut album hit #5 on the ARIA chart when it dropped last month.
‘Lovely’ is available to listen to below, while his debut EP A Body Slow can be preordered now ahead of its March 31 release. He also plays Melbourne’s For The Love festival this weekend, before heading to the U.S. for an appearance at the massive industry showcase SXSW, and a return to Australia for a national tour (dates below).
With exciting times ahead, we asked Running Touch a few select questions about what’s happened so far, and what’s still to come.
‘Lovely’ is out today, heard here with a live-edit video clip
Chatting with Running Touch
You’ve seen pretty fantastic support from triple j so far, from reviews to high rotation airplay. How important do you personally feel the station is for emerging local acts, and what are some of the other avenues that they can look to for promotion?
They have been an unbelievable driving force behind a lot of what this project has achieved. It’s a rarity that radio is held in the same esteem as promotional veins like YouTube channels (Majestic Casual etc.) and Facebook nowadays. It’s incredible.
If you were to look at an ideal indie-electronic roll out… triple j would probably item number one. That being said, the internet is teeming with its promotional abilities and stories of others artists’ strategies – I think industry support through other acts is an overlooked one.
In your live shows and also your imagery, you make an effort to remove your personal identity from the equation as much as possible. What’s the message there, and is it something you can see slipping away from as your profile grows?
It was a decision representative of myself at the time. We wanted it to be more of ‘if you want to know who I am, come and meet me’. Now we’ve used it as a useful tool in ways I didn’t initially imagine. My anonymity feels like another limb to me now. As for pulling away from it, I’ll do whatever necessary for the project… and if that means scrapping it, sure – but not anytime soon.
You’ve cut your teeth on a sold-out tour last September and countless festival slots – how has the live show developed over the last year, and what are your hopes for the upcoming set at SXSW? And what’s been the festival highlight so far?
I’m endlessly grateful for the opportunities that I’ve passed through so far. I’ve had some insane experiences. The live show is currently undergoing its largest piece of maintenance to date. Lots of dancing, a lot of more elaborate instrumentation – and not just having lots of random gear on stage like I used to because I saw other artists use it.
You’ve been working extensively with Ocean Grove. What brought you to that project – did you need an outlet in a different genre?
It’s actually the reverse. I started playing music with Jimmy in 2008, which eventuated to finding other members and forming OG. I was always an appreciator of different genres. I love the thought of trying to pursue as many genres and mediums as I can, and try to find my threshold creatively.
Approaching the music career aspect differently was something i was always trying to work around. Ocean Grove has been incomprehensibly valuable to me artistically. What it’s taught me lyrically and creatively is incredible. Not to mention, you can never have enough experience with labels and management from different corners.”
Who’s next on the list of acts you’d like to work with, either to collab or to support/have support you?
Hayden James, RUFUS… That would be an experience. I’ve had Vera Blue, Jesse James Solomon and Sachi on my mind for a while also! As for supports, there is too much choice to narrow that down.
Running Touch tour dates
Sat 25th Feb , For The Love Festival, Melbourne
13th-20th Mar SXSW, Austin Tx
Sat 01 Apr Miami Horror Block Party, Melbourne
Sun 02 Apr Miami Horror Block Party, Sydney
Sat 08 Apr Hot Dub Wine Machine Festival, Swan Valley
Fri 21 Apr Uno Dance Club, Geelong*
Sat 22 Apr Corner Hotel, Melbourne*
Fri 28 Apr Hudson Ballroom, Sydney*
Sat 29 Apr Groovin The Moo, Maitland*
Fri 05 May Cats, Rocket Bar, Adelaide*
Sat 06 May Hooch, The Brighton, Mandurah*
Sun 07 May Aviary Rooftop Sessions, Perth*
Sat 13 May Impala, Auckland NZ*
Fri 19 May Elsewhere, Gold Coast*
Sat 20 May The Foundry, Brisbane*
* = A Body Slow National Tour (Tickets on sale Feb 26)
