New Band of the Week: Detroit Run

Liverpool band Detroit Run is on a mission to redefine modern alternative rock with an infectious sound that they describe as “anthemic, bouncy and crushing.”

The quartet of Tom Haywood (vocals), Gary White (guitars), Nathan Dillon (bass) and Wes Cunningham (drums) grew up in Liverpool, a city famous for its musical history, and have been in and out of bands since they were teenagers. The band, who fuse engaging vocals, big rocky guitars and synths in their engaging sound, now wants to have a shot at flying the flag for a new wave of British alternative music.

Indeed, they told us: “We would describe the Detroit Run sound as the future of alternative rock. We feel that we have been able to create a signature sound so that when people hear it, they will know that they are listening to Detroit Run.”

Our latest taste of this is Invincible, which was released last month. It opens up with a building synth sound before a little guitar flurry sets up lively guitar chords and darting synths. Engaging vocals take over with twinkling synths and light guitars and drums, before blasting into a big singalong chorus “You messed it up, But nobody’s gonna say that I gave you up, Still, I feel the fire rise, I’m alive. You say I’m out of touch, But no one’s gonna say that I’ve lost too much, Still, I feel the flames ignite, I’m alive. And It feels like im invincible.” Heavy synths and guitars bridge into another mellow verse that instantly kicks into another catchy chorus. The vocals intensify in a little post-chorus section that drops into light instrumentals and echoey vocals as pulsing synths give way to a piercing guitar that tees up a final blast of the chorus.

Speaking ahead of the release, the band told us: “We are very excited for people to finally hear invincible. We have worked hard on this and the EP as a whole. We think people should expect to hear what the future of alternative rock is sounding like. We have combined heavy alt-rock and synth electronics to create this sound.” Check it out in the video here:

That follows on from a series of singles that will lead up to the band’s second EP Defiance. The most recent is Prototype, which opens up with an eerie synth sound that blasts into stabbing guitars and synth twinkles that drop into effects-ridden vocals. That flows into a catchy chorus that ends with heavy guitars and repeats of “prototype.” Check it out in the video here:

And if you like the sound of that, check out the band’s 2022 debut EP Room 14, which includes the excellent closing track Crimson Tears, which takes an unexpected dark twist halfway through.

The Detroit Run sound has been inspired by a mixed bag of genres and artists, including the likes of Nirvana, Bring Me The Horizon, I Prevail, Green Day, Architects, A Day To Remember and Trivium. And on what inspires them to write music, they told us: “The inspiration for the writing process all comes down to the experiences that we have had through life as well as everything we see around us going on in the world.”

Detroit Run are gearing up for the release of their second EP Defiance Part 1 next month, ahead of which they’ll be releasing another single earlier in the month. They’re also going to be playing at the first UNCHARTED FESTIVAL in Mexborough on 3 May, which is headlined by our former New Band of the Week, Ten Eighty Trees.

And the band added: “We would say, keep your eyes open and look out for us. You never know what we might have in store for the future.”

You can follow Detroit Run on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud and YouTube.