Old Friends Push Through Healing and Trauma With "Run" Music Video
Old Friends, photo by Nick Noto
By Emily Herbein
The latest single from Jersey-based group Old Friends, fronted by Nick Noto, is all about taking what he assumed would be the easy way out and running away from all of his problems after a head-on collision. “I dealt with a lot of shame and a lot of blame. Everyone I spoke to, from witnesses to the police to the insurance, all tried to make it out like it was my fault... I sank into a deep depression full of guilt, pain, and anxiety. I didn’t show up to a couple of gigs. I burned some bridges because I just could not pick up the phone and hear the disappointment in someone’s voice. I couldn’t drive down that road for 3 months after the accident... Instead of facing the situation head-on, I ran.” It’s a case of fight or flight, and doing what you feel is the best way to protect yourself in a moment of vulnerability. Upon writing, Noto took a step back and realized that the best way out of a situation is always through it, not away from it. The single, “Run,” and its accompanying video depicts the internal struggle of wanting to hide from the tough conversations and the triumphs of finally facing them, for lack of a better word, head-on.
The video is a quite literal interpretation of what it means to own up to the consequences of a mistake you made and how to heal through trauma by exposing yourself to the thing that caused it in the first place. In Noto’s case, that meant filming this video on the road where the accident happened. In a broader sense, it means not letting pain define you, but rather how you deal with it. Understanding that growth isn’t linear is another key theme, and the viewer sees firsthand how some moments of recovery feel blurry and timeless, and how others feel completely detached from reality. Filmed across several states by Mxiiew and Vic Antonio, Noto’s cyclical vision comes to life to present a warped version of reality in what is also a very graspable way.
Backed by an alt-folk, acoustic-leaning soundscape, the music and lyrics narrate an apologetic understanding between Noto and the people he feels he’s let down. Everything about the tone hints at this aching catharsis that only comes from finally lifting a weight off your chest. It’s a gentle track on the surface, but it’s also pulling at something deeper, and the more I listened, the more I felt this kind of air of finality. This is Noto’s way of coming to terms with everything that happened and letting it go. It’s a part of his healing process placed right in front of us, and it takes bravery to get that vulnerable.
You can watch the video for “Run” below, and stream the single anywhere you find music.
Credits for “Run” can be found below the video.
WRITTEN BY: Nick Noto and Victor Sabatino
PERFORMED BY: Nick Noto (vocals, guitar), Anthony Keller (drums), Victor Sabatino (keys)
PRODUCED BY: Victor Sabatino
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Tyler RIpley
RECORDING ENGINEER: Victor Sabatino and Tyler Ripley
MIXING ENGINEER: Victor Sabatino
MASTERING ENGINEER: Tyler Ripley
CREDITS FOR RUN MUSIC VIDEO
DIRECTED BY:: Mxiiew and Vic Antonio
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Mxiiew and Vic Antonio
CONSULTING PRODUCERS: Nick Noto and Tyler Ripley
EDITED AT: Little Brother Audio
PRESENTED BY: Free Dive Records