Formed upon a chance encounter while busking in the subways of New York City, Bandits on the Run have become modern troubadours, the flower children of the digital age. Their new single, “You Have Changed,” releasing on February 2, 2023, marks a new phase of Banditry; this is the first release that they have self-produced, and offers a taste of what’s to come on the follow-up record to 2021’s acclaimed EP, Now Is The Time. PRE-SAVE / STREAM HERE.
“‘You Have Changed’ is about being torn apart, begrudging acceptance, and lingering love. It’s about the uncontrollable wellspring of grief that comes swooping in when life smacks you in the face, and you’re just not ready for it,” the band reveals. Written at a moment of uncertainty, when their futures seemed tenuous, they say that the creation of the song was a mediation on accepting reality. “It felt like the world was caving in under us and all of a sudden everything we loved and held onto had changed.” It’s evident that those feelings resonate with listeners. “When we perform this song, people tend to open their hearts to us and share their stories of change and loss. For some people, ‘You Have Changed’ is about a loved one that’s passed, or a lover that’s left, or a storm that’s finally clearing up. We love that it takes on a new meaning with every person who hears it, and is about whatever is changing in their life at the moment.”
Comprised of Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn, the Brooklyn-based indie-pop-Americana trio is anchored by three-part harmonies and eclectic instrumentation, including accordion, cello, melodica, and a suitcase-kick-drum. Since their first release, 2017’s, The Criminal Record, they’ve received accolades from NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, American Songwriter, NPR Weekend Edition, and the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project. Their most recent EP, Now Is The Time, was produced by Ryan Hadlock (Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers), and surrounding that release, the band produced a short musical film, Band At The End Of The World, commissioned by NYC-based Prospect Theater Company. They’ve gone on to compose music for the Netflix children’s animated series, Storybots, score the newest Peter Hedges movie, The Same Storm, and tour the globe with appearances at the Cambridge Folk Festival, Floydfest, Milwaukee Summerfest, Americanafest, and the Singapore Grand Prix. In addition, they stay in touch with their theatrical roots: Strayhorn is a freelance casting director currently working with The Telsey Office, Shepherd is a Broadway veteran who graced the stage in the world premiere of the musical August Rush, and Enscoe starred opposite Hailee Steinfeld in the AppleTV+ show, Dickinson, and on stage in Swept Away (by The Avett Brothers).
Their next release will be their most collaborative yet: a self-produced EP featuring various and sundry bandit friends that explores the tensions of a world that has been broken open but is putting itself back together.
Coinciding with the release of “You Have Changed,” Bandits on the Run kick off a Midwestern tour with several performances at Folk Alliance. A video for the single is coming soon.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Tickets and more details at banditsontherun.nyc/live-shows
2/2 - 2/4: Folk Alliance at Marriot Crown Center (Kansas City, MO)
2/3: Tiny Concert at Effing Candle Co. (Kansas City, MO)
2/6: Bishop Hill Community Commons (Bishop Hill, IL)
2/8: Rhythms & Brews @ Gibson Music Community Center (Appleton, WI)
2/9: Epiphany Center For The Arts (Chicago, IL)
2/10: Rose Bowl (Urbana, IL)
2/11: Bradley University (Peoria, IL)
