Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Star2 is rocking a pretty high profile at the moment, and while I don’t think this has anything to do with why he made the new single and music video “Run Away,” it’s definitely going to help his message in the track reach a lot of people who need to hear it this April. “Run Away” is a song that talks about peace, war, and the disparity that exists between the two in Ukraine at the moment, and although this probably isn’t the first track you’ve heard taking on this subject, it might be the first to really touch your heart.
There’s a very cerebral poetic drive to Star2’s performance in this single, and when partnered up with the sly melodic arrangement of instruments he’s straddling, it almost feels as though everything is moving at half the speed it should be.
This slowed-down feel only puts further emphasis on what’s being said in the verses rather than stripping our attention away in the name of some indulgent hook, the likes of which are entirely missing from this piece. If there’s one thing on this player’s mind, it’s getting us connected with his words here, and he adeptly makes it happen through straightforwardness rather than production schemes.
For the past year or so I’ve consistently found Star2’s output to be surprisingly strong and emotionally connective when it counts for something, and “Run Away” is just another instance of my being very impressed with what he has to say. This is a highly experimental time in American pop music, hip-hop, and R&B, all three genres that influence Star2’s identity in both this and other singles he’s released, but where a lot of others are still trying to figure out how such influences form their persona on stage and in the studio, here we have a player who truly knows who he is.
Christian Gardenhire
