Runt Returns with Hard-Hitting New Instrumental Single ‘Last Breath’

It’s been a good three years since Mumbai-based vocalist-guitarist Siddharth Basrur released music under his moniker Runt with the five-track Rhymes With EP. Since then, Basrur would go on to turn Runt into a fully functioning live band which currently includes guitarist Chandan Raina and bassist Orenstein Dsouza and previously former drummer Dev Rk. Now, the three-piece rock act is out with a pulsating new heavy instrumental offering titled “Last Breath.” Basrur says, “The last couple of days this is pretty much all I’ve been working on.”

While in lockdown due to the current coronavirus pandemic, Basrur decided to go through some of his old sessions and incomplete songs when he chanced upon “Last Breath.” He says, “It’s like at least two or three years old or so. I had slated it for a much later release initially and I was thinking of maybe putting vocal melodies down, but I just couldn’t seem to come up with something that I liked.”

Although the track is missing Basrur’s signature soaring vocals, the song does have plenty of plus points. From gritty distorted guitars, a mean bass tone, euphoric grooves and extreme dynamism, “Last Breath” packs a punch. Basrur produced, mixed and mastered the entire track himself, even going as far as programming drums for the song. “I said, ‘Let’s just make the most of what we have’ and so I tried to make the drums as realistic as possible.”

According to the musician, the song is about enjoying life until your last breath and admits that he has grown as a human being over the past month due to the current global situation. He says, “There’s a difference between being powerless and being helpless. We’re powerless over the situation, but we’re never helpless. We can help ourselves.” The track’s accompanying music video — put together by Raina — includes stock footage of outer space and the evolution of the earth, creating a stunning visual which sits perfectly with the song.

With around 20 half-ready songs in the vault, Basrur tells us that it won’t be too long until Runt’s next release. The musician intends to put out more singles and later package those tracks into an EP or album. “Let’s see where it goes,” he says. Apart from all the Runt material he’s working on currently, Basrur has managed to keep himself busy during the lockdown. He says, “I’ve had a little bit of work from home recordings here and there, a couple of collabs and a couple of paid jobs as well.”

Watch the video for “Last Breath” below: