Song: County Line Runner – Plastic Palm Trees

by Tom Welsh

You don’t get much more apt an opening line for these times than ‘is this real life, baby?’ You also won’t get a much more affecting, soaring account of introspection than this latest release from County Line Runner.

Following on from last years’ Americana-informed County Line Runner EP, new single, Plastic Palm Trees, sees songwriter, Adam Day – aka County Line Runner – change the pace to deliver a cinematic, slow-burning epic, aided as ever by the lush production of Bill Ryder-Jones.

Beginning with minimalist drums and piano, interspersed by bursts of lo-fi guitar, the track opens up into a reverie of rolling chords and rich baritone vocals that talk true to troubled times. The stately pace of the track adds weight to the words, which perfectly encapsulate the to and fro of self-reflection (‘thinking not even those thoughts are mine’).

The track builds unhurriedly, allowing the unguarded sincerity to sink in against the gorgeous swells of sound, which eventually tilt into a driving rhythm that brings the song towards its grandiose finale.

The reprise of the song’s opening line against the filmic majesty of its closing strains acts as the audio equivalent of staring out to sea; everything about its immersive climax works to almost coax an epiphany on every listen, until you’re snapped back into reality at its sudden end.

Only to go straight back to the start. A definite triumph.

If you’d like to support us by subscribing to our zine, click here – it’s just £6 a year for four copies (inc p&p).

 

Want to keep up to date with all our latest pieces? Follow us on social media…