Highly recommended. It’s that devil-may-care attitude that fans are drawn to and what makes Wake Up Applauding such a fun listen. Anyone familiar with Running’s previous albums Asshole Savant or the first full-length for Castle Face, Vaguely Ethnic knows just what to expect on this one, too. Rhythms still pummel, guitars still stay on 10 and reverbed-out vocals still remain unintelligible. For maximum effect, it’s best to take the medicine on Wake Up Applauding as one big gulp rather than tiny sips. There are a few standout moments within the constant drub of the album. There are two short interludes (that would be ‘Interlude A’ and ‘Interlude B’) that consist solely of synth drone. Their placement in the track listing manages to break up the deliberateness of Running’s attack. It’s a false safety however, as the pandemonium is immediately resumed on the subsequent tracks. On my first listen, I did a literal LOL after ‘We Never Close’ came slicing right back in after ‘Interlude A.’ The song ‘Ghost Bag’ manages to combine everything that is great about the band into 4 and half minutes. After an abrupt tempo switch half way through the song, the band pound on a single note while the guitar does its trademark siren squeal. Just when you’ve assumed they’ll ride it out until the end of the track, everything’s pulled out once again as Running locks back into the riff they set forth at the outset. It’s those subtle variations that the band is able to pull off on Wake Up Applauding that prevent it from being a completely directionless mess. Although, maybe they’d prefer it to be a mess. It’s hard to say, and luckily, we won’t be getting any explanation from them.
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