Days away from the release of her triumphant third full-length album On Dark Horses, Emma Ruth Rundle has unveiled a darkly romantic music video for “Light Song.” No stranger to mining her life for inspiration, this new track and its accompanying video celebrate a completely new chapter for the songwriter; after sparks turned to an undeniable infatuation between her and Evan Patterson of Jaye Jayle (resulting in their 2017 Johnny & June-esque split EP The Time Between Us), Rundle uprooted her life on the west coast in favour of Patterson’s hometown of Louisville. That sense of settling, of roots digging into new soil and heartbeats steadying into a daily rhythm, is what propels the record. Strapped with equestrian themes and Patterson on backing vocals, Rundle’s new environment is as much of a character throughout the album as she herself. With Rundle’s breathy but brooding vocals coupling with Patterson’s smoky baritone, “Light Song” flaunts their artistic duality and flair for aural drama, a powerhouse partnership that is only amplified by stalwart backing rhythms.
Written during the rare lulls throughout two years of relentless touring, the songs that comprise On Dark Horses are as disquieting as they are ethereal. Preening the wounds that were laid bare with 2016’s Marked For Death, these eight new tracks capture and envisage Rundle’s artistic evolution—vestigial traces of 2011’s Electric Guitar: One’s savvy guitar work, the heart-on-sleeve intensity of Some Heavy Ocean (2014), and the high-stakes torch songs of Marked For Death can all be heard in equal and harmonious accord.
On Dark Horses is due out this Friday, September 14 via Sargent House. Pre-orders are available here, and Emma Ruth Rundle will tour in support of the album this Autumn – check out all tour dates listed below.
Emma Ruth Rundle, On Tour:
September 15 Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar +
September 16 Detroit, MI @ El Club +
September 17 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s +
September 19 Portsmouth, NH @ Book & Bar +
September 20 Allston, MA @ Great Scott +
September 21 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus +
September 22 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA +
September 23 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery +
September 24 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe +
September 25 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle +
September 27 Davenport, IA @ Figge Art Museum / All Senses Festival
September 28 Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co.
October 6 Lille, FR @ Aeronef +
October 7 Colmar, FR @ Grillen +
October 9 Bermeo, ES @ Beleza Malandra Ateneo Kulturala +
October 10 Oviedo, ES @ Lata de Zinc +
October 11 Porto, PT @ Passos Emanuel +
October 12 Lisbon, PT @ Music Box +
October 13 Madrid, ES @ Changó +
October 14 Barcelona, ES @ AMFest 2018
October 16 Marseille, FR @ Le Molotov +
October 17 Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik +
October 18 Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz +
October 19 Prague, CZ @ Klub 007 +
October 20 Köln, DE @ Gebaude 9 +
October 21 München, DE @ Milla +
October 23 Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu +
October 24 Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang +
October 25 Malmo, SE @ Plan B +
October 26 Oslo, NO @ BLÄ +
October 27 Stockholm, SE @ Strindbergs Intima +
October 28 Gothenborg, SE @ Skjul Fyra Sex/Skjulet +
October 29 Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil +
October 31 Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown +
November 1 Groningen, NL @ Vera +
November 2 Paris, FR @ Petit Bain +
November 3 Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen +
November 4 Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade +
November 6 Glasgow, UK @ Stereo +
November 7 Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny +
November 8 London, UK @ Oslo +
November 9 Kortijk, BEL @ Sonic City Festival
November 10 Antwerp, BEL @ Trix +
November 30 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt +
December 1 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn +
December 3 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide +
December 4 Austin, TX @ Barracuda +
December 6 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister +
December 7 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar +
December 9 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo +
December 10 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop +
December 12 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios +
December 13 Seattle, WA @ Barboza +
December 15 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court +
December 16 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake +
December 17 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room +
+ w/ Jaye Jayle
September 16 Detroit, MI @ El Club +
September 17 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s +
September 19 Portsmouth, NH @ Book & Bar +
September 20 Allston, MA @ Great Scott +
September 21 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus +
September 22 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA +
September 23 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery +
September 24 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe +
September 25 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle +
September 27 Davenport, IA @ Figge Art Museum / All Senses Festival
September 28 Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co.
October 6 Lille, FR @ Aeronef +
October 7 Colmar, FR @ Grillen +
October 9 Bermeo, ES @ Beleza Malandra Ateneo Kulturala +
October 10 Oviedo, ES @ Lata de Zinc +
October 11 Porto, PT @ Passos Emanuel +
October 12 Lisbon, PT @ Music Box +
October 13 Madrid, ES @ Changó +
October 14 Barcelona, ES @ AMFest 2018
October 16 Marseille, FR @ Le Molotov +
October 17 Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik +
October 18 Leipzig, DE @ UT Connewitz +
October 19 Prague, CZ @ Klub 007 +
October 20 Köln, DE @ Gebaude 9 +
October 21 München, DE @ Milla +
October 23 Berlin, DE @ Bi Nuu +
October 24 Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang +
October 25 Malmo, SE @ Plan B +
October 26 Oslo, NO @ BLÄ +
October 27 Stockholm, SE @ Strindbergs Intima +
October 28 Gothenborg, SE @ Skjul Fyra Sex/Skjulet +
October 29 Copenhagen, DK @ Hotel Cecil +
October 31 Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown +
November 1 Groningen, NL @ Vera +
November 2 Paris, FR @ Petit Bain +
November 3 Manchester, UK @ Soup Kitchen +
November 4 Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade +
November 6 Glasgow, UK @ Stereo +
November 7 Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny +
November 8 London, UK @ Oslo +
November 9 Kortijk, BEL @ Sonic City Festival
November 10 Antwerp, BEL @ Trix +
November 30 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt +
December 1 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn +
December 3 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide +
December 4 Austin, TX @ Barracuda +
December 6 Albuquerque, NM @ Sister +
December 7 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar +
December 9 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo +
December 10 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop +
December 12 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios +
December 13 Seattle, WA @ Barboza +
December 15 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court +
December 16 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake +
December 17 Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room +
+ w/ Jaye Jayle
On Dark Horses — Track Listing:
1. Fever Dreams
2. Control
3. Darkhorse
4. Races
5. Dead Set Eyes
6. Light Song
7. Apathy on the Indiana Border
8. You Don’t Have To Cry
“Light Song” video credits:
Directed by Danielle Bartley.
Makeup & hair by Leslie Dale.
Garment by Ashley Rose Couture.
“Light Song” is also available at Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, etc – http://smarturl.it/ERR-ODH
On Dark Horses is out on September 14 via Sargent House. Pre-orders are available on CD/LP and digitally, and more details will surface soon. For all promo assets, please visit: https://sargenthouse.com/odh-assets
“[Rundle] doesn’t allow her songs to suffocate – their doomy drama stays fluid, like an oil slick. Control’s Mogwai-like pitch and rumble, or Fever Dreams – Kate Bush if she’d released a grunge album – keeps the lights low, but there’s an emotional spark here that never goes out.” – 4* Q
“A sombre yet thrilling piece of work…with stirring results.” – 9/10 LOUDER THAN WAR
“Bold and self-assured…On Dark Horses finds Rundle encircled in the kind of delectable sonic chiaroscuro that few do so well” – 4* RECORD COLLECTOR
“Nerve tingling…light as a feather one minute, heavy as lead the next.” – THE WIRE
“The sparsity and depth of instrumentation matches Rundle’s incredibly emotional delivery, coupled with words that touch every fibre; a way of looking forward wrapped in the pain of loss. Quite simply, this woman is beyond superlative, a creative entity able to spark and crush every synapse in the human body, who has once again produced an album that truly touches the soul.” – 9/10 GHOST CULT