On a rainy October night in the intimate venue The Mercury Lounge, the new British band County Line Runner, captivated the audience as they performed to promote the drop of their new EP, released today.
County Line Runner is the moniker for the London based lead singer and song writer, Adam Day and his excellent band of mates. Day came onto the scene almost out of nowhere when he released his debut singles โHard To Find,โ and โWide Eyes,โ which have generated over 1 million Spotify streams. Clearly listeners were won over by his moving and ambiguous lyrics, with melodies that are reminiscent of the legendary Smiths.
This singer-songwriter on the rise has been praised by Clash Magazine, PopMatters, Atwood Magazine and Beyond The Stage Magazine saying, County Line Runner, โis using his honest and introspective observations to create special songs chronicling his life, and the lives of those around him.โ
His EP, released today, is not just a collection of songs, but rather a whole story of his journey, revealing the hopeful and tragic moments that accompany it, and make you feel like your right there with him.
The set was short, but kept us wanting more. Lasting for no more than 30 minutes, Day played his adventurous ballad โHard To Findโ that evokes the grit of moving on and the heartbreak that goes along with it. ย โOur Little Worldโ began with a kind of trippy guitar sequence going into a nice soft drum rhythm. The poetic voice and lyrics of Day only adds emotion to his misty yet structured melodies.
One of his most impressive performances was of โSaw You In A Dream,โ an introspective and self-aware song that speaks of wistfulness and a kind of cowboy sensibility.
Day has an extreme talent for song writing and has even been compared to some of the best songwriters of all time, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. His music is full of contradictions starting with โupbeat energy versus introverted vulnerability, then folk sensibilities versus rock ambition, and nostalgia-for-days-gone-by versus hope-for-the-future.โ
This eloquent singer-songwriter agreed to be questioned by The Knock on his new EP release. Read below to discover the ins and outs of each of his songs and learn about one of his teenage songs that is particularly precious to him.
The Knockturnal: Congrats on your EP, which is coming out on the 11th, what has it been like for you with the impending release of the EP release?
Adam Day: Yeah, I canโt lie, itโs been really good. It just feels like itโs been such a long time. Iโve had the songs for a couple of years so to have it together as a solid body of work is really great, instead of a lot of singles.
The Knockturnal: Your newest release was โCold Dawn โback in the beginning of September, can you talk about the meaning of the song?
Adam Day: Yeah, โCold Dawnโ I sort of wrote and then put it aside. I write loads of little things and then I just left it. Then we were recording, and I played part of it, and Sam (guitarist) just said, โMate thatโs one of my favorites!โ So, I went okay, and I finished it. Iโm really happy that he said that, or it would have never been made because I would have forgotten about it. I write a lot of stuff and then just forget about it. Iโm stupid like that to be honest. Itโs kind of annoying! I just donโt like hanging around on one idea too long, so I kind of write intensely for short periods and Iโll come back to it, or sometimes itโs just finished.
The Knockturnal: How did you first become inspired to make music?
Adam Day: I think it was about when I was 14 or 15. I fell in love with this band called Oasis. But my family are from where they are from so it kind of made me feel connected to them. And then I just started writing lyrics. Just silly little things. Then I learned guitar when I was 16, and just started learning Beatles songs and then Bob Dylan songs, and then I did my own songs. Now I look back and sort of cringe a bit at my old songs. I wrote a song about my sister. I must have been about 16. I remember it actually! I think it was called โPrecious Girl.โ I always kind of wrote songs, but I wouldnโt really finish them. It took me a long time to get it together and come out with these songs. Iโm just really slow in that respect.
The Knockturnal: Your first releases โHard to Findโ and โCold Eyesโ which became extremely popular, how was it to become such a success after just releasing a couple of songs?
Adam Day: Yeah, Itโs crazy! I remember it was Sam who was kind of encouraging me to put stuff out there and just put the songs out. So, I recorded them and put them online, and I said โif we get 10,000 streams, I will be over the moon!โ And right now, look at it! Itโs just strange. And sometimes you can see how many people listen in that time and it says like, โ220 people listened to your song.โ Itโs so mind bending you know? Itโs just stuff that I wrote on my own and just kind of did, Iโve always done it. It feels like I get something off my chest. To think that so many people listen to it is really nice
The Knockturnal: I really like the song, โBallad of A Land Shark,โ which is coming out on your new EP what was the inspiration behind that song?
Adam Day: A lot of these songs arenโt about specific experiences. I donโt want to come across as really miserable and morbid, but at that time in my life I sort of lost control and I would find myself in bad situations. And I think the line in that song โevery time I come up for air I slowly sink,โ is how I felt. That kind of nails it. I just kept trying to get out of a situation but I couldnโt seem to do it. Yeah, it was a pretty dark period. But itโs got a kind of upbeat melody, so in my mind I feel like thatโs a happy song. Thereโs a kind of optimism about it. Even though you feel like your suffocating in a situation, you still have to have that tiny bit of hope because things can change.
The Knockturnal: You have been likened to some great names, like Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan, do you have a favorite band or musician?
Adam Day: Iโm not walking around thinking Iโm like Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen! But they were huge influences in those songs that I was writing when I was 17. Yeah, thatโs just kind of how I write songs now. I love the stories and lyrics. Sometimes, it can be more ambiguous and that you feel that you know where it is. Thatโs such a weird thing! With Dylan you could look through the lyrics and not really know what itโs about, but you get that feeling that you know. Itโs more of a metaphor than actually saying it. You just kind of write what you feel and not over analyze it too much. I try not to get caught up in it all. I just havenโt got that sort of method. Iโm not that clever!
The Knockturnal: Is there a particular song that you are especially connected to? Do you have a favorite?
Adam Day: Yeah, I think โOur Little Worldโ I really like because itโs about me and my son. I think we were just watching TV or something and I just felt so happy and content, and that Iโm happy not chasing anything and not getting caught up in anything else. Iโm just happy here watching the TV with my little boy. Thatโs what really matters you know? Not everything else. I never thought Iโd feel like that. So, yeah, I think itโs that song. And you compare it to โBallad of The Landshark,โ and itโs like I got out of that situation and made it โOur Little World.โ Itโs all very full circle. Iโm really proud of all the songs.
The Knockturnal: What are your plans for the future of County Line Runner?
Adam Day: Loads! I would love to do an album, thatโs the next step. Hopefully people will like the EP and itโs really nice, the EP, because when you hear the songs next to each other, you can see the connection with them and hear the story. But Iโve written an album thatโs sort of done. Just need to release it!
Check out County Line Runnerโs moving new EP out today
