Tycho (Scott Hansen) is back with “Time to Run,” his first new music in three years (not counting his collaboration with Ben Gibbard), out now via Ninja Tune / Mom+Pop. This is a little bouncier than the music normally associated with Tycho, though his atmospheric synthwork is still present. The song features guitarist Zak Brown and drummer Kaelin Ellis, and was mixed by Grizzly Bear‘s Chris Taylor.
“Music has always served as a kind of meditation for me, long before I started creating it,” says Hansen. “As a competitive runner throughout my early life, I would play back loops of songs in my head to cope with the stress of races, focusing on rhythmic elements to help pace myself and stay calm. There is a unique form of clarity that I have found through the meditative practice of running, it is a fundamentally human experience, and when I feel the deepest connection between the mind, body, and nature. ‘Time To Run’ is my attempt to translate these ideas into music. My goal was to approach the composition from a new angle and let the rhythmic elements take the lead. I cast the melodic elements that have come to define the Tycho sound in a new light by juxtaposing them against a new foundation that takes cues from funk music.”
The video, directed by Patrick Elmore, also plays off the song’s running theme. “The video for ‘Time To Run’ is autobiographical based around a cross-country meet I ran in,” Hansen says. “Cross-country races can be a very solitary pursuit; spectators, coaches, and officials are all there at the starting area but once the race begins you disappear into the woods where it’s just you against the other runners, carrying all the of expectations of the outside world. The intense pressure and overwhelming physical stress of the moment can make you want to just keep running and never look back. This story is about letting go of the expectations of others and finding your own peace and fulfillment.” Watch the video below.
“Time to Run” is out just in time for Tycho’s Golden States festival on Saturday, July 15 in Napa. He’ll headline, alongside performances by Channel Tres, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Buscabulla, Washed Out (DJ Set), Brijean and Kaelin Ellis. Check out the poster below.
