Song Premiere: “Salt” by Running Red Lights

Salt is an example of a song that was written under the divine will of the Songwriting Gods, who intervened, as they so often do, at the most ill-timed moment….inside the basement bathroom of a dog-eared Toronto Tavern. The idea was drunkenly captured into the voice memo of an iphone and demoed the following day.  Despite the cheery, bright production the song is actually rather melancholy, touching on subjects of depression, social isolation and detachment. The single was co-written and produced by award-winning songwriter Robyn Dell Unto.

The song begins with a technicolour burst of melody, all sunshine vocals and galloping drums. Male and female vocals trade off the verses, building a harmonic tension as the track builds to an almost cacophonous climax before open to a strummed acoustic guitar. The breakdown allows the track to find it’s centre again, as the band replays the chorus with an extra emotional tenor. ‘Salt’ finds the perfect balance between infectious indie-pop, and authentic roots. The bridge we need from the carefree summer to the more mysterious autumn.

Running Red Lights was established in 2006. Migrating from small towns all across Eastern Canada to the swelling city of Toronto. Kevin, David, Jeff and Scarlett assembled together as a pop oriented, female fronted group under the control and direction of well-established traditionalists with crumbling ideas. The band found themselves caught between 2 worlds, eventually weathering the collapse of the old guard and struggling to adapt to the new age of DIY and the ever changing music industry. Despite what at times felt like creative and career pandemonium, RRL went on to release a number of EP’s between 2009 and 2012.

‘Salt’ comes from a forthcoming album.

Quote from the Artist: ‘Salt’ was a song we did not see approaching. It was not the usual process of chiselling away at a block of granite with a pencil. The song fell out as fluid as a breeze through an open window. It wasn’t until after that we could see a considerable contrast between the melody and the lyrics. But who were we to argue with divine will of the songwriting Gods? In the end we were left with a song that was as just as much ours to unriddle as the listener.