SirenBlue – Running Out Of Time

SirenBlue – Running Out Of Time – EP Review

I tell ya…I was really getting worried about 2026 for a hot minute there.  With killer records like Neo Blastic from SV & Alyssa Jane and EMA from Sienná last month, and this shiny new set of tunes from SirenBlue on their Running Out Of Time EP, I’m feeling that momentum shift back in the direction I was so desperate for the scene to move in this year.  Running Out Of Time indeed!  Like…this Titanic we’ve all been riding on felt like it was only inches from the iceberg and total disaster, you feel me?  Right when things were feeling bleaker than bleak, a team of highly reliable musical all-stars have come back to save the damn day, and man, I really cannot express in words just how thankful I am for that.

Like, honestly, I just put this record on for the first time a couple weeks back, and I could FEEL the smile widen across my face as “Running Out Of Time” began to build.  If you’ve followed along with these pages of ours for the past six years or so, then you know I’ve got a great affinity for the music this band creates, but there’s truly something about the sound of authentic inspiration that you can’t mistake for anything else.  Listen to those perfect bass lines complement the melody of their title track!  Listen to those immaculate & shining guitars!  Listen to Collette sounding as amazing as she ever has in singing this opener!  Listen to how BIG the music sounds when they transition outta the main hooks!  Glorious!  No joke folks, I was so immensely satisfied by what I was hearing when “Running Out Of Time” came on, that it was like…a mixture of amazement at how well this first song came out, combined with a sigh of true relief…SirenBlue is one of those bands I continually hope will keep on keepin’ on, and I’ve felt that way about’em ever since I first started to listen to them.  They’ve got a magic that the rest don’t have – you can hear part of what makes them so different right there on “Running Out Of Time,” and you’ll find it show up throughout the rest of this set as well.  Lemme explain…lemme give you a specific example of what I’m talkin’ about.  Like…I look at it this way…SirenBlue has never shied away from expressing some fairly GRIM but objective observations about the state of the world around them, but like, have you ever heard the bad news delivered in such an uplifting way?  I swear they could tell us all the world is ending, and to be fair, I suppose they kinda do in their own unique ways…but like…if this ship we’re all on is in fact going down soon, I’m very thankful that this band is the one on deck playing for us while it happens.  Collette sounds absolutely outstanding on “Running Out Of Time” and it’d be hard not to recognize her vocals as the main draw on their title track in terms of what appeals to us all universally, but at the same time, I think we also have to acknowledge the fact that she’s surrounded by clear audible perfection as well.  From the production to the performance, your ears can tell the work has really been put in here.

So!  Nowhere to go but down, right?  After a start as solid and single-worthy as “Running Out Of Time,” we may as well take our ball and go home, right?  WRONG!  This is SirenBlue we’re talkin’ about y’all – and throughout my years of listening to them, one thing rings more true than anything else perhaps, which is that they’ve easily become one of the most reliable bands you can find in any corner of this scene we share.  Hearing them continue to crush it on the second song called “Mess” was confirmation that they’re as focused and sharp as they’ve ever been.  Even the finer details, like the guitar solo in this song for example, are simply brilliant.  They didn’t elect to crank the volume and get flashy with it, no.  Instead, they’ve got Jason absolutely shredding it up throughout the background atmosphere in this song through the lead guitar…it’s a smart way of doing things that is rarely explored in music.  The lead, set in the distance of the background?  Unheard of!  Yet here we are, and “Mess” shows you precisely how well that works when you go that route.  Don’t get me wrong, the guitars aren’t relegated so far into the background that you have to strain to hear’em – that’s not what I’m saying.  What I’m saying is that you usually find moments like solos being way overblown in a pretentious mix that sends them into this completely over the top fantasy-esque delusion that’s within most of the music you’ve ever heard – but when you listen to the alternative, more balanced & subtle approach here by SirenBlue in the way that “Mess” is mixed…honestly, it should leave you in awe!  It’s what you’d call being spoiled for choice dear readers, dear friends – this band has such a wealth of riches in terms of their talent, that the best way to put that across to us as listeners is to find a balanced, unified attack – and that’s exactly what they’ve done.  Lyrically, “Mess” is stellar too.  It is NOT going to be the happiest track that you’re going to hear this year.  Perfectly expressing what so many of us are thinking at this very moment I’m sure, “we’ve made a mess of everything,” sings Collette.  No lies detected.  She ain’t wrong as far as I can tell.  Like it or not, “Mess” might just be the mantra for the new generation as they assess what the old one has left for them…“time is running out” to make it better for them, but I’m skeptical that we can, or will.

It’s all freakishly good stuff.  As “Looks Like Rain” came on and it seemed like Neil was doin’ his best Dylan as the song began, the clouds part, and the chorus comes in…and man…talk about mirroring what you’re singing about!  “Any moment things can change,” he sings, right as this third song goes from being really good to becoming really great…it’s honestly one of the best transitions from part to part that you’ll hear on this entire EP.  Don’t get me wrong, I was already super happy with how the verses in this tune were coming out, but the chorus hooks in this song are definitely among the most impactful that you’ll find on Running Out Of Time.  It’s another excellent example of having everything in its right place…there’s a natural & organic way that “Looks Like Rain” moves that simply feels perfect for the moment.  Again, I love the large amount of contrast, meaning, and interpretation we can recognize in a lyrical line like “any moment things can change” – because Neil’s not necessarily saying that the “change” he’s referring to is going to be positive, despite that line coming along with one of the most significantly uplifting feelings you’ll find in the music surrounding him.  It’s because of the sound that he’s got with him in that spot, that we feel like the change we’re looking for COULD be positive…that there COULD be hope on the horizon…and you know what folks?  I’ll take it.  Whether that’s what he originally intended, or it’s a large amount of projection on my part, I do not care – I will take this feeling of optimism and let it fuel my months ahead.  I think we need it right now.  Maybe it “Looks Like Rain” – but maybe it’s not, you know what I mean?  “Deep down you know some things won’t be the same,” he sings…and again, that could be for better or for worse, just depending on your perspective I suppose.  The only thing we’re REALLY guaranteed to go through IS change, and that’s really what SirenBlue’s song is all about more than anything else I reckon.  Awesome additions in the music of this tune that you might hardly notice…it might all be keyboards…but like…there’s an organ sound subtly threaded into this one, and even some strings of some sort I think?  It’s so damn brilliantly balanced in the mix that once again, you hear SIRENBLUE as a whole, as a unified entity, as a band playing as one…and I love that.

Speaking of keyboards and the incredible way they can impact a song, LISTEN to the way that “Don’t Look Now” begins, will ya?  Not only does this song freakin’ ROCK, it’s also freakin’ FUN to listen to from start to finish as well…as in, if there’s one cut on this record that is likely to get you movin’ and groovin’ it’s going to be this one.  I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s uncharacteristically danceable, but you get what I mean – it’s probably not a typical SirenBlue kind of song, even if it still possesses all of the sound and style that’s similar to what has always made their music great to listen to.  Punchier dynamics…I guess that’s what we’re talkin’ about.  More colorful…more bouncy…more lively…more vibrant – “Don’t Look Now” feels like it was recorded in 3D & its whole vibe could easily reach out & shake you physically.  I think you have to give the band some serious credit here when it comes to how focused Running Out Of Time sincerely is – any one of these songs could arguably be a single, and when you’re rocking with a short set of five tunes, that makes one hell of a difference when we’re talking about reasons to return for another spin.  The diversity in this lineup deserves just as much of a shout out in my opinion.  Not only does every song feel like it could easily be a single, each song is entirely different than the last, yet still tightly cohesive with the SirenBlue sound.  Everything feels like it belongs to this record from the themes that they’re singing about, to the way their new EP moves from track to track in such a logical way.  Essentially, they’re displaying their craftsmanship in more ways than one, you know what I mean?  It’s one thing to create a handful of great songs, but it’s still another task to make it all flow in a way that will make sense to everyone’s ears, and the layout of Running Out Of Time feels like they’ve mastered the art.  Collette can’t seem to help but to be fantastic in this latest set of songs.  The robust low-end of “Don’t Look Now” is wildly engaging.  The synth moments are sensational.  It even has one of what I think might be my favorite lines of all-time when Collette sings “because some corporation learned to commoditize my brain, I don’t disengage.”  C’mon y’all…that’s next level brilliant!  Equally insightful too if you ask me.  Is it a comment on our doom-scrolling habits?  It certainly could be.  “Don’t Look Now” seems to deal a lot with how we’re pulling the wool over our own eyes, so to speak…the very idea that if we just choose not to look, maybe all the shit around us isn’t really happening at all and we can remain comfortable in our own personal bubbles…that kind of stuff.  Lord if only that were all true, am I right?

Despite ALL of this, you can still choose to “Dance In The Rain,” and I sincerely hope that you do.  We might be “Running Out Of Time.”  We might be living in a complete “Mess” right now.  It “Looks Like Rain” ahead, believe me, I get it.  “Don’t Look Now” because a few drops could easily become an entire storm, and I think that’s a theory proven to be true by this point in our history.  But NONE of that stuff, no matter how rough it might seem, should ever affect the FACT that you’ve got ONE LIFE to live, and you’re entitled to live it exactly as you want to with the time that you have.  So “Dance In The Rain” big guy!  Go out there girl and be beautiful!  Find puddles to jump in!  Do the legendary silly walk if you wanna!  Move to your own rhythm and pulse, and do it with confidence – you’re the only you that there is, so CELEBRATE that, every fucking day.  “All those embarrassments are shadows of the past,” sings Collette…because she and SirenBlue GET IT…life is too damn short not to do your own damn thing, and “Dance In The Rain” is the anthem we need to remind us to use the time we’ve got for all that it’s worth.  Yes there are WORLD WARS going on.  Yes life itself has become unaffordable for most people to even LIVE right now.  Yes politics have become so innately corrupted that the system ain’t gonna be able to fix itself in time for it to save us.  Yes the robots will likely kill us before any of that’s even a factor.  We’ve got PROBLEMS to say the least…technological, societal, political, global…you know how long the list could go on for.  The way I see it, is we can give in to the pressures around us and let that do our heads in, or we can “Dance In The Rain,” control what we can control, and do what we can on a local & personal level to make life a little bit better than it was yesterday.  Al Pacino said it best in Any Given Sunday long ago…”life’s a game of inches” – solving every problem we have right now is IMPOSSIBLE – but we can move the needle just enough to make a difference in our own lives, and measurably in the lives of the people around us.  It’s bloody metaphorical when you think about it – SirenBlue has made MY life better through their music, and I’m sure if you’re a fan, you feel the exact same way about’em that I do.  We NEED voices like theirs out in this world we’re living in right now, to be accurate, honest, and not without hope…plus, it sure doesn’t hurt to have’em sound as good as SirenBlue does on this EP here too.  Take a page out of their playbook though – “Dance In The Rain” and have yourself a great time doin’ it, because you should, and you deserve it.  If only for a moment, get out there and leave the rest of the world’s troubles behind…celebrate LIFE and LOVE and the miracle that YOU are.  It can’t all be doom and gloom…we’re not equipped to handle that as a species…and if our leadership has all but abandoned the prospect of being able to assist with our happiness, we MUST be willing to supply it to ourselves, preferably in abundance.  It doesn’t need to cost you a thing – you can “Dance In The Rain” for FREE – and I highly recommend you do.  You get one life – make sure you’re living it to the fullest.

SirenBlue has got themselves a wonderfully flawless, highly observant, beautifully artistic, and entirely outstanding EP here – did I mention that?  I’m sure it’s implied by now…at least, I hope you’re picking that up from what I’ve written here.  They always come up with incredible ideas, objective insights, and remarkable musicianship, but Running Out Of Time really felt like they left no stone unturned this time around.  They’re not just exceeding expectations here – they’re thriving with inspiration in their prime.

Find out more about SirenBlue at their official website here:  https://sirenblue.net