Runners in the nerved world

"The Sidekicks still understand the value of turning up the tempo on songs like "Everything in Twos" and "Blissfield, MI," but most of Runners in the Nerved World is firmly planted in midtempo, and the band sounds comfortable there, playing with the nuances of their elemental but expressive tunes and the personal, semi-impressionistic lyrics".

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"While Runners lacks Never Hungover Again's consistency and melodic generosity, it likewise functions under the assumption that its new audience might be an anachronism, but it's one worth chasing: people who value the album not so much as a cohesive, continuous 40-minute piece of music but one where every song justifies the act and trust of spending $10 for the whole. With the exception of the brief, fluttering closer "All Things Run", everything could be the "single"-the Sidekicks are beholden to huge choruses with carefully constructed lead-ins, warm harmonies, and quotable lyrics about relatable topics. Remove the crusty production from their past work and nothing here should be a major surprise; it's just more polished in every way, the melodies are less jittery, the dynamics are more pronounced, the presentation is immaculate".

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