The Libertines’ Run Run Run: The Brit Pop Phoenix Put a Smile on my Face

Depending on who you ask, word association with The Libertines will get you some contrasting responses. For some, it’s that band that fell apart due to the intense relationship between Doherty and Barât and the intense relationship between Doherty and heroine. For others, it’s that transgressive Brit Pop band with so much promise that never really got there. In fact, both are true. I mean, for the Libertines one view of the band is hand and hand with the other. For fans that wanted to hear from the band got Anthems For a Doomed Youth in 2015 with handful of live shows. That was it we thought. At least we can remember the band finishing strong without total breakdown…well…think again. This Brit Pop phoenix has risen from the ashes again with their new single Run Run Run.

I have not been following The Libertines closely, so this single snuck up on me. Musically, it is everything you want from a Brit Pop band. You have steely thrashy guitar, very solid percussion with hand claps…what else do you need? Having said that, it’s not a dated sound and does have a freshness to it. I think it helps that the band is so tight and on point. What made The Libertines so great is their music sounded anarchistic and teetering on the edge of total destruction. You get that vibe here with a healthy dose of fun, which lifts everything to a great place.

Lyrically, the song is all about punk and excess. There is a call to action to live your best life now and not waste the time you have on earth, while giving a big “fuck you” to the man. It is not the transgressive Libertines we were listening to in the late 90s and early 2000s, but this band has been through some shit. They all know their mortality and are still making music, which they probably did not think was possible 15 years ago. Even though this is a fun song you can belt out at the pub, there is a maturity to it that the band would not have been capable of in the 2000s. It’s about outrunning your past and leaving it behind you in order to connect to the present, as Barât sings: “tonight we are going to spend tomorrow’s happiness.”

The vocals are also a ton of fun. It is this great mix of punk and Brit Pop excuses and opulence. You get some classic cockney punk screaming in the background, like people coming out of a Sex Pistols show. For me, Barât’s vocal always had this thick luxurious glammy excess to it. He delights in every word and just luxuriates in his lyrics like he’s sitting in a hot tub made of gold. Much like the song’s arrangement, his vocal is this raw yet opulent British jewel that you fear could burn out at any moment. There is so much emotion in every word you’re afraid he might faint in the middle of the song. I could just live in this vocal, which is quintessential Brit Pop.

This track was a great surprise. Even though it is 8 – 9 years after their previous record, I feel that Run Run Run has more energy than anything off of that previous record. You get the sense that this is a band spending up house money. They never thought they would be able to make music at this point in their lives and they are really going for it.

Listen to Run Run Run