With “Running From Myself,” a heart-rending new song that matches Motown’s soul with deeply intimate personal lyrics, Brighton’s quickly ascending alt-pop heroine Caity Baser opens the door to her inner world wider than ever. Songwriting collaborators include the acclaimed duo Oh Wonder (Josephine and Anthony Vander West), and the sweeping instrumentation of Simon Dobson and The Parallax Orchestra brought the song to life in a bold and beautiful moment in Caity’s ever-evolving artistry.
From its opening note, “Running From Myself” feels like time travel. Warm, thick strings and plush brass arrangements are the bedrock for Baser’s plaintive lyrics. But her direct and expressive voice, a voice of mortifying honesty, steals the show. When she sings, it is more like a confession.
The true magic of the track stems from its improvisation. Baser explained that the song had come about as a happy accident while they were in the studio with Oh Wonder. One of them said the words, and inspiration hit. Within 15 minutes, the song was written. That spontaneity gives the song a raw, even cathartic quality, as if we’re eavesdropping on a conversation she’s needed to have with herself for years.
“Running From Myself” is a much-needed reminder that the most self-assured voices in pop, exuding boldness, and fearlessness, are still on the verge of their storms. Caity addresses the stark contrast between public perception and private reality as she challenges the perception that being strong means staying quiet.
What distinguishes this track, though, is its audacious melding of classic soul textures with an entirely contemporary emotional throughline. It’s Caity Baser, stripped back, soul-baring, and entirely in her element. With “Running From Myself,” Caity Baser does not deliver another new single. She offers us a fragment of herself. And if this is the lane she’s running in, we’re more than willing to join it.
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