STRAYLIGHT RUN Issue #32

The Needles The Space

By Callye Morrissey
Published: June 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

Straylight Run is finally free of its past and former label, Victory, and it’s interesting to see how change impacts things. The Needles The Space finds this New York band, with two ex–Taking Back Sunday members, exploring new ground in its first post-Victory record.

Since leaving the heavier Victory terrain, Straylight Run has fully embraced softer melodies, soothing piano solos, and harmonizing vocals. Vocalist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left Taking Back Sunday before that band’s fame erupted, leaving their previous influences to linger on early Straylight Run releases. The brother-sister relationship of Nolan and sibling Michelle, who sings and plays piano and guitar, is what separates the band from TBS.

The band found indie success in 2004 with “Existentialism on Prom Night,” a song they played while on tours with Rooney and Brand New. That song’s success is somewhat mirrored on most The Needles The Space tracks, with piano-heavy tunes such as “Take it To Manhattan” and “Still Alone.” Michelle and John trade off vocal and piano duties, leaving the emo and pop-punk past behind.

As time goes by, Straylight Run will lose its “ex–Taking Back Sunday” member status, primarily because they create something far different and exciting than today’s mainstream norm. Straylight Run may become permanent college radio darlings, but it’s a place they will have carved out.