When PopMatters last caught up with Tom Freund, he was gearing up for the release of his latest LP, East of Lincoln. Freund still has plenty to eke from the release with it four months behind him, showing as much with the premiere of a brand new music video for its latest single, “Runaround”. Featuring an impressive array of shots taken from gorgeous natural vistas, Freund’s latest aims to inspire with its stunning cinematography and forward-driving, dreamy folk stylings. Melding a myriad of 12-string guitars with brushes of electronic synths, it’s an ethereal exploration of acoustic and electric influences that the singer-songwriter navigates with ease.
Of the song and video, Freund tells PopMatters, “I hope that the song resonates for people as a ‘waking up and taking hold of your life’ song, whatever that means for them. It’s meant to be hopeful and maybe even helpful. The video was shot while I was asked to play music for a week-long retreat in Joshua Tree for people in recovery (Recovery 2.0) and it took on extra special meaning, the energy was so clear with intent on self-discovery and healing. Also, that desert landscape is so mesmerizing to me and mystical and like a giant meditation chamber. You can see my face however that it was very cold that day—even though the California sun burns brightly in January, the high desert air is very brisk! The song is in a guitar tuning that I created that I use for a few of my songs and I thought the open strings worked well with the sounds of the Moog synthesizer—one of my faves—that I played as well. Matt Johnson from St. Vincent is on drums, and Ben Peeler is on lap steel.”