!earshot Top 200 of 2021

Run Chico Run are Doin' It Themselves

By Jeff Friesen

Matt Skillings and Thomas Shields of
Run Chico Run are hitting their stride
as a two-pieceAfter the explosion of such bands as Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, the Arcade Fire, and the more recent Islands, many Canadian artists have been quick to grab onto the mentality that in music, bigger is better. Seeing these bands break out onto the music scene has shaped much of Canadian music in such a way that it is becoming harder not to appreciate a band that is bucking the trend with a much more stripped down approach to personnel and instrumentation.

There no trouble appreciating Victoria B.C. two piece Run Chico Run who have recently released their new album Slow Action. With their fifth album, the second for Vancouver’s Boompa Records, and their third as a duo (they started as a foursome in1997), Matt Skillings and Thomas Shields seem to have fully embraced the band’s transitionto a two piece. More so with Slow Action than with previous efforts such as 2004’s Shashbo, the Chico’s have truly written music for two people. “I tried to visualize how we were going to pull the songs off in a live setting”, Shields explains via phone interview from his home in Victoria. Rather than opting for what is quickly becoming a typical approach to writing music in Canada, adding more and more to their music, Run Chico Run have decided to develop a more stripped down feeling with their new album. With Slow Action, Run Chico Run appears to be hitting its stride.

Part of this acceptance of Run Chico Run as a two-piece has to do with the strong DIY aesthetic that runs through much of what the band has accomplished thus far. Resembling the DIY ethic behind bands such as Swell Maps, The Television Personalities or Scritti Politti, Run Chico Run seem to be doing as much as possible by themselves. Whether it’s making their own record sleeves, gig posters or t-shirts (Shields was making one of their t-shirts while talking with me on the phone, which included a wizard and a sasquatch in midst of a fierce sword fight), Skillings and Shields are happiest on their own. “I’d like to let someone else do [the work] but it’s just way too much fun.”

None of this is to say that Run Chico Run are control freaks, or even perfectionists. From their debut album Lofimofo onward, Run Chico Run have always enjoyed flirting with their lo-fi tendencies. In many instances it is the missed notes, the gritty production and the off Run Chico Run have decided to develop a more stripped down feeling with their new album. With Slow Action, Run Chico Run appears to be hitting its stride. setting organ sounds where Run Chico Run really shine. With Slow Action, this is illustrated through the tension between the band’s use of hi-fi electronic sounds and their lo-fi leanings. Take the album opener ‘Broadcaster’ as an example. The song begins in an atmospheric fashion as layer upon layer of various keyboard sounds intertwine with each other. However, this is not the clean and perfectly produced sounds often associated with many electronic albums. They are constantly being interrupted by frail harmonies, messy organs, and pounding yet hollow sounding drums. This dialogue between electronics and lo-fi then continues throughout the rest of the album. Slow Action, Shields explains, “still manages to sound satisfyingly crappy.”

Much of the band’s sound can be attributed to being part of the vibrant music scene in Victoria. Shields attributes this to the fact that “people who go to shows here in Victoria tend to be open to a wide range of music.” Whether it’s the circus frenzy of Frog Eyes, or the country twang of Carolyn Mark, there seems to be an appreciation for anything in Victoria. Ultimately this has created more space for bands like Run Chico Run to be more experimental. It has enabled them to, as Shields puts it, “break out and try new things.” This is made evident in Slow Action by the wide range of sounds used throughout the album, as well as the unconventional song structures. The album veers in all directions - at no point does the band allow itself to fall into anything predictable. This comes, in part, thanks to their placement within the music scene in Victoria.

Don’t let Run Chico Run sway you with their self-deprecating ways, proclaiming themselves to be making music they “aren’t going to hate.” With their mix of electronic and lo-fi sounds, their DIY ethic, and their ability to embrace themselves as a two-piece, Matt Skillings and Thomas Shields have yet again given us a wonderful collection of pop songs in Slow Action. They are able to remind us that bigger is by no means always better.