Kid Runner

"Fans all the way from Italy, Mexico and the Philippines have shown love on their Facebook page, but Columbus will always be home for pop band Kid Runner..." - The Lantern

"Columbus, OH’s Kid Runner recently released a new version of their song “Move,” and we have the pleasure of premiering the brand new acoustic video for the track. Check it out below..." - Substream Magazine

Within their first year, Kid Runner has gone from bedroom demos to National TV commercials, and the momentum hasn’t stopped there. Their huge synth hooks, shout along anthems and energetic live show has landed them opportunities to perform with Capital Cities, The 1975, X Ambassadors, and more. With a new EP set to be released this summer 2014, it’s safe to say that it’s been an amazing start for this up-and-coming alternative pop band. The band has opened for X Ambassadors, The Griswolds, Capital Cities, Twenty One Pilots, and The 1975 among others. They will perform Playing Fashion Meets Music Festival this August alongside Local Natives, Cold War Kids, and Circa Survive. A band to watch…. - Kings of A&R

In a little over a year, Kid Runner have gone from bedroom demos to national television campaigns and supporting the likes of The 1975, The Griswolds and X Ambassadors.Today we’re bringing you the single off their up-coming EP “Wake Up Now” due out November 4th.

Catch the radio premiere of this track on WE FOUND NEW MUSIC this Friday at 9pm, podcasted afterwards here. - Kick Kick Snare

The first time my playlist shuffled to Columbus, Ohio’s Kid Runner, I was so affected by their music I had to drop what I was doing, restart the song, and honor them my full attention.

It was love at first listen. I hopped online hoping to uncover every nugget of information I could find on the band, but I couldn’t find enough. So I e-mailed them to satisfy my insane curiosity... - Indie Shuffle

Somehow, I missed out on Columbus, Ohio alt pop band Kid Runner this past year, despite their releasing a hooking self titled EP. I’m all up to date now, thanks to their brand new single, Move, a song that oozes over with infectious melodies and lustrous synths. It’s an indie anthem that will have crowds singing along to the oh oh oh’s in total blissful glee, reminding me of energetic pop music from other acts like The Griswolds and Parade Of Lights. Move is a taste off Kid Runner’s new EP, Wake Up Now, due out November 4. For another delicious Kid Runner tune, stream Flash Fashion below, from their last EP. - I Heart Moosiq

If you’re into the Columbus music scene, then you’ve likely heard of up-and-comers Kid Runner. 2013 has been a great year for the 5-piece band, recently opening for Capital Cities, The 1975, and other big names in alt rock, and were also featured in commercials for ESPN’s X-Games... - Breakaway Music Festival

Creating catchy blissful indie / alt / electronic music, Kid Runner is Fran, Bobby, Scott, Drew and Kurt who have recently released their new single 'Move' which you can listen to below.

The quintet released the track which can also be heard on ESPN in the Repreve commercial airing during the Winter X Games. It sounds superb and outlines a fantastic potential for this band who I see having a great future ahead of them.

Check it out now and get supporting my favourite band this month!

If you would like to learn more about Kid Runner and like what you hear from the clip, please check out the band's pages below. - Hearty Vibes

March 04, 2013 marked the day that The 1975, an Indie/Pop/Alternative/Chillstep quartet... - 91.1FM WDUB

I know we usually try to get these Artist of the Week features up for your weekend, but excuse me if I was too distracted by Justin Timberlake’s amazing comeback on the Grammys last night to get this posted. I can’t be the only one right? I mean, “Get outcha seat Hov!” Dang. So hyped.

Anyway, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about another band that got me hyped with their track Move that aired during the X Games in January. That band is Columbus, Ohio outfit Kid Runner. Their excellent blend of pop sensibilities with high-energy electronics makes them one to watch. They have yet to release a full-length album, but that Repreve ad has gotten them a lot of attention lately. We talked to Kurt via email.

What’s the story behind your name?

Our original band name was actually Runners. A few of us were at a wedding and, per usual, dancing the night away, and our dancing started to look like running…so we decided Runners was a cool name. Because of some copyright issues/other bands being named Runners, we changed it to Kid Runner!

Your music is kind of hard to pin down. How would you describe it? Who or what are some of your influences?

We usually describe ourselves as Alternative Electronic Pop. We had someone tell us that we are a happy mesh of Passion Pit and Phoenix and we gladly accepted that label. Those are two of our big influences.

Your band is pretty new, and you’re from Columbus, Ohio, which isn’t really big on the “music city” map compared to New York, L.A. or Austin. What does this opportunity mean to you?

It’s huge. We’ve already gotten a lot of great feedback from people who heard us on the commercial, which was our whole goal! Getting our music heard by people who wouldn’t normally hear us. It rules!

What’s your favorite thing to watch at The X-Games?

Definitely men’s super pipe. Shawn White is out of control.

Are you into any of those X-Games sports yourselves?

We all shred the fresh pow pow in one way or another. Some ski, some snowboard. Nothing too intense though. We’ve got our dainty musician hands to take care of!

I just noticed that kidrunner.com is home to a cartoon robot sketch and the Discover Channel logo. What’s that about? Where’s your website?

You can find us at the warm and welcoming kidrunnerband.com!

Your song played throughout The X-Games. Has that affected your fan base in a big way?

It’s definitely starting to affect it. We’ve had a lot of new outside views to our Facebook and YouTube page. A lot of snowboarding fans are digging it, which is sweet! We will gladly provide background music to any snowboarders riding the slopes!

Are you guys working on an album right now or is “Move” just a single?

We put out a four song EP in November. “Move” is a single we released as a teaser for our full-length album coming out late April/early May, so be on the look out for that! You can download all of our music on iTunes or listen to it on Spotify! - What Song is in That Commercial?

Kid Runner transcends the traditional structure, conventional tempo and the usual instrumental in its genre. Radio-friendly choruses and mainstream pop themes are still evident but expect more of the pulsing dreams, swing beats and gospel choirs thrown around here and there from time to time.

The opening track to Kid Runner’s self-titled album, Flash Fashion, frenetically shifts from a sweet ballad to a full blown show-tune number, a stomp along head banger and finally to a euphoric marching band anthem.

Capes worked out as a somewhat Broadway musical inspiration wherein stories were told, characters were created, multiple voices were heard and the harmony of vocals and instruments painted a flamboyant picture.

Gold Teeth is both powerful and versatile. Its over the top feel can sometimes become tiring but it still delivers the right groove. Lastly, Sleepytown tops it off which is the album’s victory lap. It worked so hard to create a pop masterpiece and it sure did succeed.

Kid Runner stands out from the crowd through various experimentation and by being fearless in embracing new standards in the pop genre. - Frost Click

The musicians of Kid Runner have sprinted from central Ohio stages onto cable-TV shows.

In January, their atmospheric and echoing single Move was featured in a Columbus-made ad for Repreve, a fiber-recycling company — and a sponsor of the X Games Aspen 2013 on ESPN.

... - The Columbus Dispatch

Blog review - Music.Is-Amazing

An interview by Canadian magazine, Glacier Mag! - Glacier Magazine

By Chris DeVille
From the November 15, 2012 edition

I had never heard of Runners when I saw the band’s EP release party on Kobo’s concert calendar, but some strategic Googling revealed that former Super Desserts gal Fran Litterski was involved, and any band with a tie to that late, great, expansive institution is worth at least a passing glance. So I headed to Kobo last Friday to witness this synth-driven pop project in action.

There was a lot to take in. Although Runners’ promo photos frame the project as a duo featuring Litterski and Drew Lizon, the stage lineup included three more musicians whose presence was crucial in bringing this music to life. Runners’ songs would not have survived the karaoke-like approach that many electronic acts are adopting these days, partially because the group’s roots are more in the realm of indie pop.

Runners exists in the same space as Passion Pit, where synth sounds function as accessories for organic foundations. At times they glimpsed the post-Kiwi jitters of Terribly Empty Pockets, while other moments reminded me of cutesy melody freaks like Matt & Kim and The New Pornographers. The frantic collective pop of Broken Social Scene and Los Campesinos! came to mind too.

Enough with the references, though. Runners has a look, sound and feel of its own, and it’s a pretty good one. The vocal melodies were nimble and infectious—you couldn’t miss hooks that huge — and the rhythms were just as welcoming. They managed to make huge-sounding shout-along anthems without sacrificing small details like Litterski’s xylophone runs and a round of spritely hand claps.

Not all was well, of course, but the aspects that irked me were either minor or fixable. The aesthetic is kind of vanilla, though the songs are catchy enough that vanilla might not be a problem. I liked that Lizon was equipped with a tom for auxiliary percussion, but he wasn’t exactly staying on beat.

At one point they all sang, “How do you like me now?” It wasn’t a Heavy cover, just a question I’m happy to answer in the affirmative. Runners could easily morph into a nightmare band if they get too cute, but with some seasoning I’m excited to see where they’re headed.
- Columbus Alive!