When you have a supergroup composed of the talents of Cory Wong, Joe Dart, Nate Smith, and Mark Lettieri, you absolutely can’t go wrong. In 2020, they teamed up for an amazing record, and they did so again for a godly comeback with ‘The Fearless Flyers III’, taking the world by storm with a single from that record ‘Running Man’.

‘Running Man’ is two songs in one, but both parts sound much better as part of a singular unit. It starts with a looping beat played by Jazz veteran Nate Smith on drums, with that same familiar gritty production that Fearless Flyers are so well known for. The band builds up alongside Nate, going into a really aggressive surf-rock sounding riff, bass and guitar in total unison. They put a twist on that sound by following a twelve-bar blues progression, which is all the more highlighted in the B section of this part of the song, where they simply strum chords to that same drum groove Nate used to introduce the tune. There’s another solo-drum interval, bridging the two very different sections. The way Nate builds the next section will leave listeners wondering, and then absolutely mind-blown once the bass and rhythm guitars start highlighting a blues shuffle, so expertly guided by Nate who’s been directing this whole orchestration from the start. Cory then busts out into one of the tastiest solos for the remaining two minutes, exploring all sides of harmony that can be showcased in this tasty, laid back shuffle. The song continues with Cory at the helm until it eventually fades to nothing.

‘Running Man’ is another proof that Vulfpeck, or rather the Fearless Flyers, are an absolute powerhouse. The authenticity of their music, and their overall musicianship is out of this world. The shift from surf rock to shuffle is something that is otherwise unthought of, but Fearless Flyers manage to make it sound like the easiest, most natural thing in the world. ‘Running Man’ is purely addictive, and a wonderful song.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.