All I’ve wanted, since moving to New York City a year ago, is to have a serendipitous, life-changing encounter on the subway. Is that too much to ask for? Maybe. But I know it’s possible, since that’s exactly how Brooklyn’s self-described “criminal whimsy ring” and folk-pop outfit Bandits on the Run formed a few years ago.
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Here’s what happened: cellist Sydney Shepherd came across guitarist Adrian Enscoe — who will be starring in Swept Away, the new musical inspired by the music of the Avett Brothers — busking on an L-train platform, they started playing music together, then–when Shepherd’s old pal and collaborator Regina Strayhorn moved to New York City–the duo became a trio (thank you, L-train!). They released a stellar debut album, The Criminal Record, in 2017, followed by a handful of singles and a live EP. Oh, and all three members of the band have bandit alter egos: Shepherd is “Bonanza Jellyfish,” Enscoe is “Roy Dodger,” and Strayhorn is “Clarissa.”
Today the Bandits share their origin story in “Love in the Underground,” a new single including two versions of the same track. Both the A-side and B-side–premiering today on American Songwriter–feature the trio’s characteristically gorgeous harmonies, but the latter is a more somber, pared down rendition of the former.
The song’s opening verses recall that life-changing subway encounter I mentioned earlier: “I, I spent my ticket to ride / Goin’ nowhere on a train past midnight / Bright city lights, flickering by” sings Bonanza Jellyfish with operatic precision over twinkling piano notes. “And I, I’m draggin’ my heavy heart / Onto the platform and there you are / With a beat up old guitar / And a song about to start.” These lines are delivered with hesitant hope. You can feel that something is budding.
“This track began as our love letter to New York City,” the Bandits tell American Songwriter. “We wanted to frame our beloved bustling home in the language of serendipity, and we used the story of two of the bandits’ extraordinary happenstance meeting as the jumping-off point. Though at first glance it may seem the song is about two people meeting and falling in love, it’s truly our band’s origin story: the tale of kindred souls meeting each other in unexpected places. In that way, this song is both personal and universal, and speaks to the particular joy, bewilderment, excitement, and world-expanding feeling that comes from finding your people.”
The Bandits decided to release two versions of the track to present two different types of love, but they’re currently working on a music video that will bridge both.
“For the B-Side, we wanted to examine a different side of love,” explain the Bandits. “We jumped outside of our signature instrumentation of guitar, cello, suitcase drum, and melodica in favor of something much more sparse and forlorn: a piano, our 3-part harmony, and a bit of glockenspiel peppered in. Though the lyrics remain the same, the atmosphere and performance completely shift to create an entirely new tone. The companion music video (slated for release in late March) spans both ‘Love in the Underground’ and its B-Side counterpart to embody these dynamics; it tracks the main characters on a journey through both iterations of the song, and sees their relationship blossom in two totally different universes. All that remains constant is the love they share, no matter how many different forms and colors that love may take.”
Like the Bandit’s debut album, “Love in the Underground” was produced by William Garrett, whose own bandit alter ego is “Lucky Jesus.” The tracks were recorded at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios, Atomic Sound, and Vitruvian Sound; mastered by Oscar Zambrano at Zampol Productions; and engineered by Ian Kagey, Stephen Kurpis, and Carl Bespolka in addition to Garrett.
For the Bandits, “Love in the Underground” is ultimately an effort to spread the love they feel for each other and New York City.
“We hope [the song] inspires folks to open their hearts, dance a bit more, talk to strangers, and bask in the magic that can be found in everyday life,” says the trio. Follow their advice and you might just stumble upon your own subterranean surprise.
“Love in the Underground” is out March 6; you can pre-save it here.
