Interview: The Runarounds Sprint to Greatness

The real band from the fictionalized show “The Runarounds” sat down with Afterglow to discuss its meteoric rise and musical approach before its Austin festival debut. 

Written by Valeria Mota

Photos by Mckenna Sefcik

The Runarounds are far from a traditional band.  The indie-rock quintet was formed through a casting call for “Outer Banks,” where show creator Jonas Pate formed the band for a small cameo on the Netflix series. After their appearance on “Outer Banks,” Pate pitched an entire show centered around the fictional band for Amazon Prime Video. While the new series was being developed, the titular group transitioned from roleplaying a band to being a band. Now, the young musicians are taking the world by storm, playing tracks from the show and newer releases across the country. Afterglow sat down with the up-and-coming rock stars to discuss their current approach to their rapidly growing career before their set at the Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival.

Afterglow: First off, this is your festival debut in Austin. How are you feeling?

Will Lipton (vocals and guitar): We’re stoked! Super excited it’s summer already.

Axel Ellis (vocals and guitar): You know, we were here around the same time last year playing a gig, and so this feels like we're continuing to kind of move up and try new stages. It's been quite a treat. We've recognized some of the crew that's been working on this show. We love Austin, so we’re happy.

We’re glad to have you back as well! So you had been playing smaller venues years before the show, what was that early grind like? Did you ever expect it would lead to all this?

Zendé Murdock (drums): Well, it was really nice to do the smaller shows, because we've been associated with our TV show since the beginning of the project. The hope was always that when the TV show comes out, it will allow us to do [perform] quickly and be able to kind of scale up. And so when we were playing the smaller venues, it felt like we were paying our dues and doing the steps that were necessary in order to become a good band, in our opinion. So we really enjoyed that part.

The show’s soundtrack is essentially your debut album. How did it feel like making music for the show that could also stand on its own?

Jesse Golliher (bass and vocals): I think that was the best part about it. The whole reason why any of us signed up to do it was they gave us so much liberty on what we got to create.

Ellis: It was fun, some of the songs were written prior to having any scripts or anything, so we were just kind of shooting at the wall and seeing what sticks. But it was also fun having a script to cater to, and kind of [be] boxed [in] to a degree. I think it kind of allowed us to hone in. What’s the word I’m looking for?

Lipton: Creative limitation?

Ellis: Yeah, creative limitation. I think it was good. It helped us kind of have fun with it and not take it too seriously.

How have your relationships with rock veterans like Cage the Elephant’s Brad Schultz and Talking Heads’ Gary Harrison shaped your approach to making music?

Ellis: Sweaty. Makes me real sweaty.

Golliher: You feel pressure to do your best work, as you should always.

Lipton: Pressure, for sure, but it's also this really beautiful thing of like, they've really submitted their legacy and pushed music forward, and now we feel like it's been in our hands, so it's cool. Music is just kind of like a cycle of people keeping it going.

Ellis: If we can be a fraction of what those guys are, I’ll be happy.

You guys are definitely on your way. “Chasing the Good Times,” one of your later releases, is your first track not tied to the series. How did your approach to making music change without the context of the show? How was it different from the songs you had before the show?

Ellis: We spent a while just trying to find whatever sound we could have and what that would look like. I think we figured out how to work with each other pretty well, and so [we] let loose in a way and had no limitations. Working with Brad from Cage the Elephant [for] “Chasing the Good Times” was so fun. He had some ideas and we kind of rolled with it. 

Lipton: It was cool. For the soundtrack album, we would write a lot of these songs and stuff like that, so it was good to be in the studio to write a song for release. We get to really experiment with tones and stuff like that, which we haven't had the luxury of doing in the past, so that song I feel like is the beginning to a new era of Runarounds music.

You've got fans lining up since 9 a.m. to see your shows. Did you ever expect this level of devotion at all?

Murdock: They’re very kind. We try to encourage them not to do that, but they still do it, so a lot of the time we’ll go out and hang out [with them], especially in the rougher conditions. I remember one day we were playing at Oxford on the last trip, the only show where in the night it rained really hard. A ton of us were out there, with hoods and caps, trying to face [the rain] with them, so at least then we’re in it together … It’s a nice, collective thing, and I did get sick after that, but it was worth it.

Golliher: Yeah, I think when people see you on TV, there's a different type of connection that you get with those people, rather than just listening to [their] music. These people grow with your character for eight hours, you know? To that degree, it’s like, expected.

Lipton: You can show up indoors if you want! We’re so appreciative.

Jeremy Yun (guitar and vocals): One of my favorite parts of the whole [long] line … [is that] a lot of people have started to bring instruments and play with each other. That part of it has been really fun, to see people jamming. It's not our songs all the time, it's sometimes covers that we know how to play as well. Seeing people kind of sharing it with each other has been really fun.

As you perform sold out shows across the country, what are you bringing to the stage for people who are just discovering you for the first time?

Lipton: We like to jump a lot. High energy.

Ellis: Yeah, hopefully you can enjoy it if you haven’t seen the [TV] show, and hopefully the music can stand on its own [and] just be a fun festival show.

Right now, fans want a second season of the show and you’ve teased new music. Where are The Runarounds running to next?

Ellis: Music!

Golliher: We’re on tour [and] we’re going on tour again in April and June. We’re gonna be playing Bonnaroo, which is going to be awesome. Yeah, it’s going to be fun. 

Ellis: The show, we have no idea, but we’ll see.

Lipton: But tell your friends to watch us!

You can follow The Runarounds on Instagram and TikTok and stream their music on Spotify and Apple Music.

This interview has been minimally edited for clarity and length.