There is a heavy (perhaps epic) quality to The Sun and Earth, Middle Distance Runner’s newest album.  For some unexplainable reason it makes me feel as though I’m traveling through space and time in a clay-mated spaceship.  This feeling is unexplainable simply because The Sun and Earth doesn’t come off as anything groundbreaking—especially on the first listen.  Each song follows a relatively repetitious rhythm, with assorted change-ups thrown in here and there.  Comparisons can easily be made to the likes of Radiohead, Coldplay, Kings of Leon, and a seemingly unending list of pop-rock groups that have a soaring and heady musical essence.

However, what makes Middle Distance Runner stand out against a plethora of similar bands are the undertones of their music. The audible accents, layered under propulsive drums and guitars, work to create a soundtrack that would be apt for nebula gazing or galactic sky tripping.  And there is no denying the group’s ability to create songs that have a catchiness to them, which acts as a musical preservative that prevents the tunes from spoiling.

Again, there is something otherworldly about The Sun and Earth, something hard to place, and the sensation of zipping past a land of dinosaurs one minute and floating in the quiet magnificence of space the next might be a listening experience exclusive to me, but I’m positive anyone in earshot of The Sun and Earth will be taken away to some place else.  After all, the true sign of quality music is its ability to take the listener on a trip, even if they physically never go anywhere.

The Sun and Earth comes out Oct. 20th.  For more info on Middle Distance Runner go either here or here