It was only last summer that Mike Rosenberg (a.k.a. Passenger) announced that he was taking a break from the constant treadmill of touring, just before a surprise release of his ninth studio album, The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Taking into consideration the current album title, he is now back on tour and album number ten (in just eleven years) has arrived in the shape of Runaway. Heavily influenced by Americana, both stylistically and thematically, he may come to feel that it would have been better not rushing back quite so quickly. He may have found inspiration on the road, but it appears that he lost something else along the way.

On ‘Why Can’t I Change’, Rosenberg sings “I’m still whistling the same old tune’ in a move that is either impressively self-aware, or music critic bait of the highest order. In truth, though there is a distinct lean towards a new sound in the use of his lap steel guitar, it remains very much the Passenger of recent albums. There is a low-key feeling to many of the tracks, with an odd juxtaposition between an attempt at an uplifting, exuberant musical style and some seriously downbeat, introspective lyrics. Opener ‘Hell Or High Water’ sets the template, with its reflective lyrics asking questions along the lines of “Was it something I said, or a cruel twist of fate?”

Many of these early songs long to be beacons in the dark, ‘Heart To Love’ stating that “I’ve been lost so long, I forgot I could be found.” However, ‘Let’s Go’ suffers from an overload of traveller cliche, with talk of forks in the road and a series of “inspirational” quotes normally found on irritating Facebook posts. Worse, ‘He Leaves You Cold’ feels like a major misjudgment – in 2018, any song in which a man tells a woman to ignore her feelings as he knows what’s best for her is not a very smart, or perceptive, move. Thankfully, it gets quickly washed away as it comes right before the album’s highlight in ‘Ghost Town’. One of the more evocative moments, largely because it rests easily in its slowness and stillness rather than attempting to add a jarring, jaunty Americana rhythm. Telling the tale of Detroit and its closed factories and industry, it is easily the most affecting, and effective, track on the record.

Elsewhere, the lack of a memorable chorus on any of the ten tracks hangs heavy around Runaway’s neck. Though Rosenberg remains as likeable as ever, and his voice dances as lightly as it ever did, it all feels a joyless experience. Though there is always a place for a little sadness, here it makes the listening experience flat rather than emotional. The best moments are found when he strips back all of the extraneous sound, and concentrates on the tale itself. ‘To Be Free’ paints a vivid picture of his parents’ own journeys through life, and is a touching tribute to the strange paths in life that people can travel. It goes to show what could have been on Runaway, an album of reflection that will likely become a mere stopgap before the ever-prolific Rosenberg undoubtedly returns next year with something new, and hopefully, better.

Jamie MacMillan

Website – passengermusic.com
Facebook – facebook.com/PassengerOfficial
Twitter – twitter.com/passengermusic