Q&A: Runo Plum on Touring and the World Inside Debut Album ‘patching’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY LUCY BULLINGTON ☆
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
RUNO PLUM IS A WORLD BUILDER—Her debut album patching takes listeners on the slow and aching journey of heartbreak. She describes the environment of the album, saying, “The snow has melted and everything’s muddy and disgusting, though pretty because the flowers and trees are just starting to bud.” Plum resided in upstate Vermont, surrounded by forest and rivers, while making the record. Her mind seems to wrap around every crevice of nature, her quiet rumination intertwining the pangs of heartbreak with the complexities of nature in her lyricism.
There are a ton of deliberate intricacies in patching that set it apart. “Be Gentle With Me” evolved from folk into an “indie rock moment.” On “Locket,” an ocarina and borrowed percussive objects create an eerie undercurrent. But the record also documents the chronology of heartbreak and the recovery process. As you listen to it from top to bottom, each song unfolds into the next stage of getting over someone. “The majority of the first part is the hurting,” she says. “Then the healing comes in the last few songs.”
Luna had the chance to sit down with Plum during her New York stop of her first headline U.S. tour. Read the full conversation below.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: How is the tour going?
RUNO PLUM: It’s been really fun. This is my first headline tour in the U.S., so it’s a completely different vibe than I’m used to.
LUNA: You toured with Searows in the past. How was that?
RUNO PLUM: Oh, so fun. That was my first big-ish tour, my first real tour, and we’re really good friends. It was like a sleepover every night. Just the funnest thing ever.
LUNA: What do you think you learned from them?
RUNO PLUM: They show up on stage very authentically and don’t have stage attire. I used to feel like I needed my makeup done and a performance outfit. And Alec (Searows) just gets up there in what he woke up in. That was always really inspiring to me. Obviously, he’s an incredible writer and gorgeous singer, but the biggest thing I took from that was just being yourself and letting the music speak for itself.
LUNA: What do you think he’s learned from you?
RUNO PLUM: He’s very shy on stage and scared to talk. I kind of talk before I think. He’s told me that’s something he’s trying to do more of.
LUNA: Are there any songs you’re especially excited to play right now?
RUNO PLUM: I always love playing “Sickness.” It’s really fun to sing.
LUNA: Any that are tough to perform?
RUNO PLUM: Oh my God, so many. I have an older song called “Till I Go Red.” I love it, but something about it feels like I’m pulling my teeth out when I sing it. The strumming pattern is hard to keep up with and it’s in a range that’s not super comfortable. But people love it.
LUNA: Do any still feel really emotional?
RUNO PLUM: Yeah. “Elephant” hits a very specific raw spot in me.
LUNA: I want to talk about patching. I love “Alley Cat.” What can you tell me about that one?
RUNO PLUM: It’s about social anxiety. It’s about how it feels to be in a room full of people and feel like a stray cat. There’s a line about being “browned out,” and that’s feeling drunk. And, “rocks falling, I’m next,” is the anxiety, cliff-falling feeling. That’s what anxiety feels like to me.
LUNA: You seem to have such a fascinating relationship with your sadness. You’re able to translate it so clearly. What do you make of that? What’s your writing process like?
RUNO PLUM: The sadness definitely fuels a lot of my music, and I take advantage of those feelings. I wrote probably three albums worth of songs during the period I was writing patching. I just constantly write down little blurbs that come into my head. And I found it so important to get into the habit of writing down a thought right after having it. Once you’re in writing mode, your brain is always scanning for things that could work in a song.
LUNA: This album really builds a world. What environment do you picture when you think about it?
RUNO PLUM: It’s definitely springtime. Slightly green. The snow has melted and everything’s muddy and disgusting, though kind of pretty because the flowers and trees are just starting to bud. That’s literally what was happening when I was writing it.
LUNA: Where were you emotionally?
RUNO PLUM: Oh my God, I was a mess. “Pond” is literally about me feeling like I didn’t have the will to live. I was so intertwined with my ex. And it was definitely codependent. Without them I was like, “Who am I? I’m not a person.” That was my life source. So yeah. I was really feeling it.
LUNA: Do you have a favorite lyric from the record?
RUNO PLUM: Probably from “Pond.” “Bathing in the pond / there’s no point in getting clean / Is this something that will always be with me?” I’ve always liked that one.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: What comes first, lyrics or melody?
RUNO PLUM: It’s 50-50. Every song is different. Sometimes it’s just guitar, sometimes just words. Sometimes it happens all at once.
LUNA: Are there any tracks on the album where the demo sounds drastically different from the final product?
RUNO PLUM: “Elephant” was completely different. It was drawn out and kind of boring. Lutalo made it an upbeat happy bouncy thing. “Be Gentle With Me” was more of a folk song at first, and we turned it into this indie rock moment.
LUNA: The production doesn’t feel like a typical folk album. There are so many interesting sounds and progressions. Are there any random hidden details that people might not be able to pick up on?
RUNO PLUM: In “Locket” there are random percussive things from this giant basket Lutalo borrowed from their cousin. There’s an ocarina at the beginning, little bells throughout. It gives it this eerie feeling.
LUNA: What were you consuming while making the record?
RUNO PLUM: Mostly music. I was listening to Greg Mendez, Renny Conti, Good Morning, Fog Lake. Wow, I’m naming so many white dudes. Where’s a girl? Oh, I was listening to a lot of Slow Pulp.
LUNA: There are so many nature references. Where does that come from?
RUNO PLUM: I was living on my parents’ land while making the album. 40 acres of woods and marshland with a creek running along it. My bedroom overlooked the forest. I was walking every day and just absorbing it. I used to not appreciate rural spaces, but after COVID I forced myself to slow down and notice the small beautiful things.
LUNA: Do you have hobbies outside music?
RUNO PLUM: So many. Painting is my second passion. I painted all the artwork for patching. I knit, crochet and collage. I also love to thrift for treasures.
Photo by Lucy Bullington for The Luna Collective
LUNA: You’ve described the album as chronological. Can you explain that a little further?
RUNO PLUM: The majority of the first part is the hurting and feeling of a heartbreak. Then the healing comes in the last few songs, like “Outro (Angel)” and “Darkness.” Those two were written months later. They feel like the conclusion.
LUNA: “Outro (Angel)” has religious allusions. I also read that you used to be Christian. Are there any connections there?
RUNO PLUM: I was raised very Christian. I actually got into music because I played music in the worship team. I’m not religious at all now. My family and I have completely deconstructed our Christianity. But I love to think about religion differently now. I believe in a God, but it’s definitely not the white Jesus we were taught.
LUNA: When do you feel most like yourself creatively?
RUNO PLUM: When the first verse is written. Or that first voice memo. That’s always the most authentic.
LUNA: Have you ever slipped in a lyric only one person would understand?
RUNO PLUM: Oh absolutely. In “The Quiet One,” I wrote about a two week situationship I had where some poly things were going on. When they were cutting it off they said, “My partner just really feels like I did them wrong.” In “The Quiet One,” I wrote, “Didn’t you do me wrong too?” Only that person would know what it means. I’m not even sure if they’ve heard the song.
LUNA: That’s so interesting. What’s your favorite lyric you didn’t write?
RUNO PLUM: Probably something by Searows. When he says, “Something is rotten inside of me.” He’s a great writer.
LUNA: Any practices that keep you grounded on tour?
RUNO PLUM: We’ve been listening to drones, like a hum at a certain frequency. It’s really grounding. And nourishing food helps keep me regulated.
LUNA: What’s next?
RUNO PLUM: Album two. I’m putting out an EP this spring, and then I’m going into album two mode. I’m going to cut my hair too and just fully commit.
