On Nov. 14, Minneapolis-based singer and songwriter Runo Plum released her debut album “patching” through Winspear. With successful songs such as “till i go red” and “yin to yang”, Plum has been releasing music since 2021 and has toured with a variety of artists all over the world reaching large audiences. An incredible feat for a Minnesotan musician.
The 12 songs of “patching” explore themes of heartbreak, friendship, anxiety and most importantly, healing. Each song is filled with vulnerable lyrics and accurately reflects Plum’s unique and powerful songwriting abilities.
The album starts off with “Sickness”, a song that encapsulates the feelings that come with health anxiety and being concerned about catching a sickness. Plum has also shared with fans that it can also be interpreted as feelings of lovesickness as well.
“Lemon Garland” was the first official single to be released off the album. It was released over the summer and was the perfect first look into the album. Released alongside a music video that Plum filmed with her friends, it encapsulates the desire to find strong and meaningful friendships.
The final single to be released was “Alley Cat” a stripped-down simplistic tune that really highlights Plum’s vocals and lyricism.
“Halfway Up The Lawn” is another upbeat tune that shows off the artist’s ability to explore genres while upholding meaningful and strong lyrics.
My personal favorite song of the album is “Be Gentle With Me” with its relatable lyrics, strong vocals, and unique production. It is an accurate representation of her artistry.
Plum has shared with fans that the song that went through the most editing is “Elephant”. She shared this tune with fans years ago, and this official version is completely different. Because of this she considers it to be one of the songs she is most proud of, and she is excited to play it on tour.
Another personal favorite of Plum’s is “Locket” which is another song that she shared with fans before releasing, so it had been highly anticipated and with good reason as it is one of the most lyrically strong songs on the album.
Yet another single from the album is “Pond”, a rhythmically smooth song about waiting and wishing for something more.
“Gathering The Pieces” holds the lyrics that seemingly inspired the name for the album as Plum sings the words “time to get patching” in the first verse.
A fan favorite is “The Quiet One”. Much like the name suggests, it is a peaceful low production song that once again highlights Plum’s controlled vocals and lyrics. Songs like this help fans feel close to the artists as the minimal production lets you hear little details like breaths and guitar string scratches. It eventually picks up into a more produced track but still holds a stripped-down feeling that makes you feel as though you are hearing the song live.
The second to last song of the album, “Darkness” is short but powerful with its lyrics that reflect one of the main feelings portrayed by the album, uncertainty.
The final song of the album is “Outro (Angel)”. It feels like a brief goodbye to the project that leaves the listener feeling hopeful, potentially alluding to the next album that Plum has already shared will have a different feeling to it.
Overall, this album is not only a great representation of Runo Plum’s artistry, but the talent that can come from midwestern musicians. Plum is gaining a larger following, reaching audiences through being featured on radio stations such as The Current as well as joining touring musicians such as Searows and Hovvdy. Through projects like “patching” she is paving the way for her fellow independent midwestern artists.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
