I have been listening to music with electronic-based elements for a few decades, but I only became interested in synthwave and related genres in 2017. It seems like the more albums and artists I discover, the faster I run through them and so, as usual, when I learned of Thunderbird by Night Runner I was in the midst of looking for something fresh. I purchased the vinyl without hearing even one second of the album, or any Night Runner track, for that matter. The clear vinyl arrived with blue and black splatter, hues that match the cover art perfectly.
The cover art sets the stage for a big album that plays like a movie – a modern cowboy stares fearlessly out at the vast landscape of the great canyons, a thunderstorm brews in the distance, and a black thunderbird rises from below. The thunderbird’s size displays its strength and power. the electroscape connected with Night Runner to learn more about the meaning and making of Thunderbird, who told us the “…cover art was inspired by fantasy vintage airbrush paintings like the ones you could find in the heavy metal magazines.”
Thunderbird is thematic thanks to its tones of vast open canyons of the American west where any human being daring enough to cross its terrain is left only to the lurking of their imagination. Night Runner said Thunderbird was guided by a movie playing out in their mind, an action film featuring martial-arts, science fiction, and tribal wars. Thunderbird was a bold release, to be sure, and the band was a little nervous people would not like it because it departed from synthwave albums packing peoples’ musical libraries at the time.
Side A begins with “Pale Rider” which opens with the hollow, warm sound only an acoustic guitar can provide, against the backdrop of what sounds like the humming of a warm wind filling empty spaces. “Pale Rider” gives way to “Red Dawn”, which has big, dramatic and cinematic synth lines leading the way. It is here the listener gets a first taste of the percussion that shines on Thunderbird, entering in a thunderous fashion.
The range of percussion on Thunderbird starts to become more apparent on “Desert Eagle,” where the drums truck through the desert for miles on end. In “Desert Eagle,” Night Runner’s use of guitar on Thunderbird takes hold. The drums bellow below a heavy guitar riff as one lead guitar melody folds into the next.
“Magnum Bullets” is the only track with a vocal piece, provided by Dan Avidan. The vocals are delivered with a heavy dose of ’80s nostalgia and they enhance the tribal theme Thunderbird is building. The lyrics elicit images of stealth in the night, and at times, the percussion feels like running down hallways with nothing but doors. “Magnum Bullets” also features a memorable lead guitar riff that cuts right through the thick layers of synth and percussion.
“City Lights” brings saxophone and deep bass lines and elicits the sensation of entering a saloon to survey what excitement – or danger – the night might bring. “Contacto Mortal” closes side A. It feels spiritual. It feels like a call to the wild. The track features layers of percussion and lead guitar melodies that play like an electronic flute.
The interplay between the percussion and guitar work on Thunderbird give it a cinematic quality. Night Runner said they “…used a lot of different layers of samples mostly from vintage drum machines like the TR-707, just adding compression and a bit of delay.” Remarkably, the band used a different guitar for every song. They created sound effects using pedals from BiasFX software. The band said they explored different sounds until they found the right feel for the album. Some images of Night Runner’s studio are shown below.
Side B begins with “Thunderbird” which is led by the percussion, high tempo synth lines, and lead guitar melodies that tangle throughout. “Cold Waves” showcases synth lines that dance with each other, a feature that pops up frequently on Thunderbird. “Like a Father” feels like it captures a moment in time. The big percussion and natural tones of the synth elicit feelings of traversing a forest in preparation for battle.
“Rawhide” is the beginning of the end of Thunderbird. The acoustic guitar and hum of wind the album opens with returns. A motorcycle fires up its engine and quickly races away, shifting “Steel Raven” into gear, which is a definitive closer. The guitar and synth solos exchange lead roles throughout in a masterful fashion.
Thunderbird stands out in a crowd. I can distinctly remember many times when I’ve flipped through my LPs and there was simply no album that can satisfy like Thunderbird. It has quintessential synthwave elements. It has nostalgic vocal pieces. It plays like a soundtrack to a movie. It showcases the artistry of percussion and integration of lead synth lines, guitar riffs, guitar solos, and saxophone.
Night Runner has released three LPs. Thunderbird was written just after the band finished the soundtrack for Fender Bender and Storyteller followed the album in 2019. The band hopes another album release is not too far off in the distant future.