Hailing from Chicago, IL, Queer majority indie band The Weekend Run Club released their brand-new album, Liminal Space Race. The five-piece writes songs focusing on identity, coming of age, and all things interpersonal, and pulls from a plethora of genres like rock, alternative, power pop, punk,  and emo. With a focus on poignant, self-revealing lyrics danceable rhythms, and guitar licks, The Weekend Run Club writes music for the introspective alien, the extroverted party jammers, and everyone in between. 

The unsettling realisation that some relationships aren’t intended to continue is conveyed to the listener in Liminal Space Race, along with the festive warmth of a fancy gay dinner party where nobody fits in. The album implies that rage may occasionally be necessary for survival. And maybe the only place to find genuine love at two in the morning is a stuffy, leather-clad bar. Finally, Liminal Space Race is the painful and truthful realisation that you cannot control anyone but yourself. The album’s focus track ‘Prince of Wales’ was built on synth chords. The guitar parts were spontaneously written, along with some bass lines, that Mitchell messed around with innocently. The lyrics at the end ‘I’m a loser in love…’ are from an old song that was never released. They love revamping old lyrics and creating something new. The genre-blend of alternative, indie-rock, power pop, and pop rock, showcases a groovy tune. 

“The track is inspired by a party that I attended and a character from the Sondheim show, ‘A Little Night Music’. Petra the maidservant sings a song about all the men she might end up with. No matter how much they had to offer, she recoiled at the thought of settling down because she’d lose her freedom. I’ve noticed that this is a really common theme in my own personal experience of queer culture, especially with other gay men I know. I was ecstatic to be invited to my first fancy gay dinner party, but I  ended up feeling intimidated and excluded when I arrived. As the defenses of the party guests came down due to drinking, I started to lose faith in some of the attendees who didn’t seem to care as much about closeness with others as they did living a fabulous lifestyle. It was a major letdown because I felt like I had met the ‘Prince of Wales’ from Petra’s song ‘The Miller’s Son’, and I still wasn’t impressed. From my own personal lens, I feel like a lot of people in today’s world, especially those who are plugged into social media, are asking the same questions: ‘When will I find my tribe? Will they accept me for my true self?” – Mitchell comments.

There are a variety of moods throughout the album, focusing on encouragement to feel and to embrace all emotions, no matter how hard they are. Liminal Space Race, has many upbeat, dancy themes with a few quiet, reflective moments scattered in the mix. There’s truly something for everyone on this offering. Liminal Space Race, has a variety of genres merging the likes of indie, indie rock, indie pop, rock, alternative rock, pop rock, dance rock, alternative, and power pop. The tracks feature guitar, bass, drums, synths, and vocals in the production creating exceptional and atmospheric earworms. 

The album was written with the same sense of urgency as the album’s underlying themes. The Weekend Run Club saw a significant roster shift at the start of 2022; Mitchell assumed primary songwriter duties and the composition structure was altered. This change in identity was initially jarring for surviving members Mitchell and Ryan.  

Because of the time lost during the pandemic and the time it took to get all of the new members on board, the band was quite motivated to release something new to redefine their sound. The new members of the band were incredibly supportive of Mitchell’s new ideas, giving the new songs a unique confidence and flare that’s irreplaceable. 

One aspect of The Weekend Run Club that hasn’t changed with this album is how diverse a range of genres have always impacted them. They worked on developing more of a rock sound while retaining some of the sweet, indie guitars that characterised their early sound. Liminal  Space Race, captures the feeling that they were afraid to make this record, but rather than focusing on that fear alone, they wrote nine songs on fear and uncertainty in different spheres of life. 

On the album, The Weekend Run Club says, “Coming of age is an animal experience that humans share on a global scale. ‘Liminal Space Race’ addresses the nebulous, yet frenetic paradigm shifts of growing up. At the end of the tunnel of adolescence and early adulthood is an unavoidable, rueful acceptance: a fleeting truth which spares no one,  especially the queer people of yesterday, today, and tomorrow: We never really stop coming out.”