New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Bandits on the Run, the NYC-based indie-pop trio anchored by three-part harmonies and unique instrumentation, announce their forthcoming EP, Now Is The Time, dropping 5/7/2021, with the release of the new single, "We
Battle Giants," on January 15.
In 2020, the
Bandits were poised for some of their biggest performances yet - as official SXSW artists, as well as at The Kennedy Center in DC and New York's Webster Hall - and vocalist/guitarist Adrian
Blake Enscoe was slated to appear in Swept Away, the musical based on the music of The Avett Brothers. Like most of the world, they saw their plans quickly deconstructed when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. However, in true Bandit style, they immediately started looking for ways to find the silver living. "As Bandits, we've always tried to be bearers of light, positivity, and community," explains
Regina Strayhorn (vocals, accordion, melodica, assorted toy instruments). So, after sequestering themselves in North Carolina finalizing new material, they took a socially-distanced road trip west to record at the famed Bear Creek Studio in Washington State, with producer Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Brandi Carlile, Vance Joy). "Having
Bandits on the Run out to Bear Creek Studio was a really wonderful experience," Hadlock says. "Their songwriting and interwoven vocal harmonies are beautiful and inspiring. Working with the
Bandits on these songs during the pandemic this summer was definitely a bright spot in an otherwise difficult and dark year." Of this latest single, he continues, "When I heard the demo for 'We
Battle Giants,' I was like, 'PLEASE let me produce that song.' I just love the way their three voices lock in during the chorus. The
Bandits are a powerful and inspiring colorful trio of magic."
The result of the collaboration with Hadlock, Now Is The Time is
Bandits on the Run's first proper studio recording since their debut, 2017's The Criminal Record, but that does not mean they've been idle. Since the band's inception, when Enscoe met cellist/vocalist Sydney Shepherd on a subway platform while he was busking, they've traversed the US and Europe, bringing their particular brand of live performance, charisma, and robust harmonic inventiveness from many a subway stop and street corner to a slew of notable venues as well as unexpected locations such as churches and motorcycle garages. In 2019, they released the EP,
Bandits Live at the Power Station, recorded in one night at the famed NYC studio. That year also saw Enscoe star opposite
Hailee Steinfeld in Dickinson. Season Two is now streaming on AppleTV+
In addition, their entry into NPR's 2019 Tiny Desk Contest, "Love In The Underground," was named a "Top Shelf" selection, earning
Bandits on the Run an invitation to perform at the NYC Tiny Desk Contest on the Road, and an interview on Weekend Edition. That was followed by their 2020 entry, the live version of "We
Battle Giants," featuring the New York Choir Project, also a Top Shelf pick. Additionally, in 2020, they released several "short music films" - the A-side/B-side narrative of "Love in the Underground," in April, and then a post-apocalyptic folk musical shot live in an abandoned theater in collaboration with Prospect Theater Company, titled The Band at the End of the World.
In October of 2020, the EP's title track, "Now Is The Time," was released, earning praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, and more. A self-described rally cry released to coincide with the US presidential election and encourage their fans to take action and vote, the single was the perfect introduction to the latest evolution of
Bandits on the Run. "We're often the band whose music helps someone through a bad breakup, inspires someone to take a leap towards following their dreams, or facilitates the meeting of a new friend or lover. In our individual lives outside the band, we are each fiercely committed to activism and justice. This is the first music of ours that combines those two forces within us," says Shepherd.
"We
Battle Giants" was originally written as a celebration of friendship, adventure, and the mountains the
Bandits help each other climb. "In these wild new days, the tune has taken on a far greater meaning than we ever could have imagined," Enscoe states. "As the world grapples with an unprecedented global challenge that truly has the potential to unite us all, we share this song with you and urge you to join forces with your loved ones to battle the giants big and small - and even microscopic - that we all face today."
