The Glorious Sons: Runaway

By Kerry Doole

The Glorious Sons - "Runaway" (Black Box/Universal):  Life must seem rather glorious to these Kingston rockers right now. Nominated for a 2018 Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year for Young Beauties And Fools, the band recently played a sold-out homecoming arena show at the Rogers K-Rock Centre.

On a recent UK visit, they recorded this cover of Kanye West’s hit single, “Runaway,” at Fiction Studios in London, releasing it on Friday. It may seem an unlikely choice for a hard rock band, but frontman Brett Emmons explains in a press release that they are all big admirers of Kanye.

"Chris Koster [guitar, vocals] is a gigantic Kanye fan, and he’s been covering the song for years. We played it in a church once together, and my voice just kind of worked with the song. I can remember listening to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy all the time in university. It is by far my favourite Kanye album. I had never heard rap sound like that before. In my opinion, this album is one of the most important of the 21st century, and “Runaway” is one of the most perfect pop songs ever written.”

After a slow electric piano intro, Emmons delivers a signature gritty vocal performance on a song full of anger and self-laceration. Piano-based ballads usually veer to the sentimental and romantic, but not this one. Sample lyrics: "Let's have a toast for the douchebags, the assholes, the scumbags, the jerk-offs that'll never take work off."

The numbers around The Glorious Sons are undoubtedly impressive. They include over 26 million streams in North America, nearly 150k singles sold, and nine consecutive top 10 radio singles in Canada, including recent No. 1 “Everything Is Alright.” The band is currently on the road in Europe, closing out in Copenhagen on March 10, followed by US dates, beginning March 13. One Canadian show date is July 28 at Empire Rock Festival in Belleville. Itinerary here