Exquisitely timed to usher in the cold and dark, New England’s own Molly Maguires present “No Reason to Run.” Paired with its companion short film, the song begins with a hauntingly spare melancholy melody. As our sense of impending doom grows the music swells into a howl of symphonic, blues-tinged indie rock; a perfect soundtrack to a tale of things going sideways; be it in the world, the woods, or deep inside the mind.
“This song originated from a pretty dark place” explains founding member JJ Sorensen. “I was walking home alone one night, feeling like things were a bit of a lost cause, like maybe there wasn’t much hope left. It began as a metaphor for a depressive anxiety attack, but pretty early on the metaphor became sort of a metaphor in of itself, and I felt like the song left my possession and began taking on its own lifeforce.”
Then, as work on the track progressed, it began to take on a deeper and more profound meaning. By the time the band arrived at Big Nice Studio in Lincoln, RI to track, the war in Ukraine was breaking out. “I remember thinking, wow, reality is getting more and more ominous and this sense of trouble on the horizon is starting to feel way too real” says Sorensen. “I think the song still works well as a description of internal battles and demons, but I see it more as a general theme about how there is going to be a serious reckoning that we are going to have to face head on.”
Filmed at a secret – purportedly haunted – location in the interior of Rhode Island, the video was filmed and directed by longtime collaborator Rob Santos. A longtime fan of low-budget horror as a concept, Santos was inspired by the track. “We wanted to make something thrilling without special effects and gore and flash” tells Sorensen. They managed to craft a visual that effectively captures the essence of the b-movie; camera angles, harsh cuts, minor errors, and all. Yet, this is balanced by truly beautiful cinematography to create a work that grabs and holds the viewers’ attention. Settle in and enjoy – you’ve got no reason to run!
Molly Maguires was formed in 2019 by founding members JJ Sorensen and Meghan Earle. Sorensen is a native of Westerly, RI who had previously served as a guitarist for pop/R&B artist Alaura Lovelight. Earle, a native of Assonet, MA, is a veteran of the Boston, MA music scene known for her immense voice and electric stage presence. Sorensen and Earle, who first met and began playing music together in 2010 while both were attending Framingham (MA) State University, are joined by guitarist Jesse Coppa, multi-instrumentalist Jason G. Taylor, bassist Nathan Johnson III, and drummer Sean Scro.
The group’s debut album Public Enemies was released on April 7th, 2020, followed in June 2021 their sophomore LP That’s My Story, which was supplemented in early 2022 with The Mona Lisa Beverage EP. Since the release of That’s My Story and the easing of pandemic restrictions, Molly Maguires has performed extensively throughout Southern New England. The band will embark on a 6-show mini-tour this fall in support of “No Reason to Run.”
Constantly writing, the band is already building a substantial vault of new music. With That’s My Story, Molly Maguires presented us with a real old-fashioned Rock & Roll record; right when we needed it most. The Mona Lisa Beverage EP showed listeners the more roots-influenced side of the band and provides a look inside their creative process. Their most recent single “Better” further demonstrated that whether cracking with punk electricity, or flowing with lyrical eloquence, the music of Molly Maguires speaks to the core of our shared humanity.
