RUNAWAY DROID - Dangerous
REVIEW BY KIZUNAUT
RUNAWAY DROID is a Synthwave artist from Helsinki, Finland. From 2018 onwards, the extremely prolific artist has been working with a diverse range of styles within the genre, from cyberpunk-influenced pieces to 80s rock throwbacks and beyond. Over the course of the three past years he has released numerous singles and 6 albums, which include a great number of collaborations and various guest vocalists.
On his newest album Dangerous Runaway Droid offers a thematically, sonically cohesive slice of decidedly 80s inspired music. It’s dangerous the same way as Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone is a danger zone, so not really, but it’s all good, mostly rather light, extremely 80s fun. I appreciate the choice to release a very coherent album that draws from a single pool of inspirations. While Runaway Droid had in the past produced many good individual tracks, I found his albums a bit too all over the place stylistically to really enjoy as albums. Dangerous on the other hand is a joy to listen to, both on the level of individual pieces and as a whole.
While Runaway Droid got his musical ventures started as a guitarist, the album is save for a few exceptions, extremely synth driven. We are treated to a mix of catchy leads and synth hits that borrows from the best of 80s pop. There’s also several strands of 80s soundtrack music within this album’s DNA, bits and pieces from the more curious synth offerings of the 80s and maybe even a tiny touch of Freestyle and early hip-hop beats. It’s quite varied, yet unified by a singular retro aesthetic.
While the album is heavily inspired by 80s pop, it’s also instrumental, and I personally prefer it this way. I have a strong preference for albums having a single vocalist, if they have vocals at all. Rare few artists can really pull off the guest vocalist approach when it comes to albums. Runaway Droid has had a talent for finding interesting and talented collaborators, but I find these diverse collaborations best presented as singles and a bit all over the place when presented as parts of an album.
Beyond these tasteful album structure choices, Runaway Droid also presents what is to my ears his best songcraft yet, offering catchy melodies, groovy rhythms and great layered synthwork. I found myself repeatedly listening to this album and it quickly rocketed to be my favorite of his releases yet. It’s light-hearted spirit was the perfect counterpart for all the dark music I consumed during the Spooky Season. One can not live on Halloween candy (or angst) alone.
The production side of the album is a mix of modern and 80s sensibilities, the drum tones, orchestra hits, lead tones and reverb-drenched production being very 80s, with occasional visits from more contemporary sounds. The overall production style is rather warm, atmospheric and airy while still maintaining enough punch in the percussion department to move things along. At times the choice of sounds reminds me a bit of a modernized take on 16-bit era game soundtracks. The production is solid and very well fit for the aesthetic that the album is going for.
DANCE kicks off the album with high energy, opening with a cavalcade of dramatic synth hits over a steady bassline and beat. The song alternates between three different sections, each featuring a progressively lighter, more upbeat sound. There’s a very strong 80s pop vibe to the two more upbeat sections and some ineffable quality that makes me think of beach volleyball. The interplay between these parts and the more dramatic, darker section gives the track good contrast and life. One of my favorites from the album.
The title track Dangerous opens with a filtered intro that leads into an instrumental synthpop song that is every bit as pop as the opener, yet also has a more melancholic, serious quality. The verses feature a mix synth hits, airy synth bells and subtle arps, while the choruses offer a potent mix of dramatic, defiant synth horns, bending synth leads and sweeps of saxophone. The interplay of elements and synth layering particularly in the choruses is rather impressive.
Highway One offers an explicitly outrun-inspired piece that opens up with a steady pulsing bass, a flurry of synth hits, passes of synth percussion and a bending lead that has a slowly opening filter sweep. The lead gives way to an arp, only for the arps to soon give way to the lead again, this time played at a higher octave. A section with a nice percussive synth pattern comes in, followed by a section which prominently features stabs of synth brass. This is followed by a section where a new, darkly dramatic arp pattern is introduced, before the bending lead from the beginning plays once again. A fine composition that oozes coolness, though perhaps for this type of music the bassline could have been a bit more upfront.
Clandestine Operations is perhaps the funkiest offering from the album, with a bit of an Axel F vibe going on in it’s mix of syncopated beats and body-moving yet melodic synths. Sharp hits of synth saws, clicky synth bass and quirky pitch-bending synths sketch out the melodies and rhythm patterns of the song, occasionally in hectic bursts, occasionally in more relaxed sections. Sounds like a lost buddy cop movie theme song. A big favorite from the album.
A filtered mix of synth arps and lush pads serves as the intro to Fast Lane, which offers a bit more melancholic vibe than one might gather from the name. A steady beat and bassline serve as the speedway upon which the various synth arps and leads that make up the track race upon, casting the mood of a ride to the sunset. There’s occasional detours, starts and stops as the beat occasionally gets syncopated or vanishes entirely for a while, dissipating the energy, only for the track to pick it up again. The main melodic motif is rather memorable and I can imagine this being a hit live.
Training Montage opens with a decidedly 80s drum pattern that perhaps pays tribute to a certain classic pop song, but soon develops an identity of its own. The track offers melodic, energetic synthpop that builds up energy and layers as it progresses, alternating between sections that sound more serious and determined and sections that sound more lighter and triumphant. It’s a good presentation of the theme of the track.
Black Rain opens with sounds of rain, a steady bassline and a fateful-sounding synth arp. A very nice, melancholic yet sharp synth melody and an airier counter-melody come into play, leading then into a somewhat sparser section where the fateful, saw-synth arp plays the main part, the bright melody sketching out melancholic tones in support of it. An extended bridge featuring the arp and sounds of passing cars as well as rising synth pads comes in, then leading into a section which is one of the rare splashes of guitar on this album, offering some rather tasteful lead work. The sharp melancholic melody repeats once more before the track goes into an extended outro featuring the same instrument playing a bit more clustered melody. A big favorite from the album for it’s dark, passionate and cool sound.
M.A.C.H.I.N.E offers a track that is decidedly lighter in tone, presenting a driving, tight mix of synth hits, rhythmic leads, sharp percs and rolling arps. There’s a rather quirky character to it all, reminding me of a toy factory that has started dancing. One of those songs that is just begging for an accompanying video.
High-Speed opens with police sirens and a filter-swept arpeggio before opening up into a rocking, groovy, guitar-heavy retrowave piece. Swirling guitars and synth hits keep the song in motion, bursts of slap bass adding to the groove. The chorus features a heroic, defiant synth brass melody.. Runaway Droid also demonstrates his guitar solo chops on this song during an interlude.
The next song slows things down a bit as Reflections offers melancholic and atmospheric, dreamwavey piece. Ethereal synth plucks play the main role in the verses, with the choruses featuring a sharper lead tone which sketches out a nostalgic melody. A steady bitcrushed bassline hums under it all. Intermittent synth hits give the track a bit of extra drama.
Time Warp - OUTATIME Mix kicks off with an interplaying mix of synths and guitars. Bright, plucky synths, wet synth brass and bass play with each other as the guitars loom in the background. The song offers one of the coolest choruses of the album, with a nice, juicy bending lead and resonant rhythm synths carrying the chorus with bravado. The song repeats twice before an interlude where Runaway Droid pushes the guitars to the foreground for a while, after which the song repeats for one last time before the album ends.
Dangerous offers a definitive evolution of Runaway Droid’s songcraft and artistry and is a very solid offering of fun and diverse retrowave. If you enjoy 80s music and are looking for something to lighten your mood in dark times, this album is an excellent choice. It certainly found its’ way into heavy rotation on my headphones.
There is also an extended version of the album which got released a bit later, but I found the 1 hour 19 minute runtime rather excessive. I found the original album’s runtime very optimal for my tastes. Those who fall in love with this album’s sound and desperately want more (and perhaps those who are more willing to hit the shuffle button while listening to albums) will probably enjoy the extended version more than I did.
For more Runaway Droid, visit runawaydroid.bandcamp.com
