The MusicNL Award-nominated duo of Melanie O’Brien and Philip Goodridge, or The Duds as you might know them have released their first single of the year. “Til We Run” is a folk-tinged pop anthem produced by award-winning producer Ian Foster that’s very much a lesson in damning the torpedoes.
“Til We Run” immediately breaks out the percussion with the first note, which in itself isn’t an unusual choice — after all, they’re traditionally 1/4 of most bands — but it’s the application of them that stands out. This is the aggressive drumming usually applied to an ’80s film about a disgraced military officer who must redeem themselves through a relentless 90-minute blood bath. The Duds are aiming for a track imbued with a sense of hope and, instead of a slow build, they start with energy levels at an eleven leaving only room for a big emotional sweep. They pull of it in wonderful, dramatic fashion.
“Til We Run” is optimism on the edge of a tightrope.
“Really the song is about perseverance, resilience. Even if those things lead to failure,” says Phil Goodridge. “I wrote the song while we were in isolation, I was managing to stay pretty positive but of course, things can get overwhelming. I started thinking about how important it is to take advantage of every moment. What really started to come through while writing was doing things, pursuing things with your whole heart, and sometimes you throw your whole being into something and it’s a disaster, your heart is broken. And sometimes it’s everything you hoped for. For me, it’s about taking all those thrilling chances and not letting fear of failure get in the way.
“When we fail we learn and we’re better for it. People can get burned and sometimes the reaction is to close off a part of themselves. I’ve been there myself. But I don’t ever want to lose who I am. And I am absolutely sick of holding myself back out of fear, especially now. So this song, this is my anthem about being unabashedly yourself, to keep going, give everything, and let the chips fall where they may.”
“When I first heard it, I knew it was a great song for the Duds,” adds Melanie O’Brien. “It spoke to a resilience that both Phil and I had developed from many years in this industry that I’m not sure we even knew we had til that moment. And somehow unknowingly, it’s one of the things that bonded us together. To hear that come alive in this song was really amazing for me. I have my moments, like everyone, but deep down I’m an optimist and Phil is too and I think this song offers that optimism up the audience and hopefully rubs off on them a little.
“Time is short, do what you love. It’s in the trying.”
Choosing to work with Ian Foster brought both challenges and rewards for The Duds; paying off, in particular, with that magnetic dance beat.
“The thing I love about The Duds is that they’re always evolving their sound,” says producer Ian Foster. “When they came to me with this single, it was piano and voices but with the goal of making it a big anthem. Their love of 80s sounds steered us further in the direction of building the track to its final form. Its ballad meets dance floor, meaningful AND fun.”
The Duds are currently working as resident artists with Terra Bruce Productions, and are also in the studio recording a collection of holiday songs.
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