Middle Distance Runner is an indie-pop outfit from Washington, D.C. whose 5 members combine their different influences to create a multi-layered sound that seamlessly blends their disparate influences. In addition to indie-pop, their sound has elements of heavy rock and shoe-gazing layered beneath the accessible surface.
Singer Stephen Kilroy and drummer Erik Dean usually build the lyrical and melodic framework of a song, and are followed into the studio by guitarists Allan Chappelear and Jay Smith. Chappelear does his best to bring out a grittier side of the pop tendencies of Kilroy and Dean, while Smith fills the sonic holes with ambiance. Bassist Ian Glinka provides his britpop-influenced backdrop to the songs, completing the tapestry of styles that comprises Middle Distance Runner's sound.
In 2006, MDR self-released their debut album, Plane in Flames to critical and popular acclaim. MDR recently completed a self-titled EP containing new and reworked material, which will be available to the public in Fall of 2007.
Praise For Middle Distance Runner
"These insanely catchy rockers [think the Strokes] are the city's pick-to-click for mainstream success." - Spin
"With a growing regional fan-base and a name that's beginning to be heard across the country, Middle Distance Runner could be on the verge of something big."- Paste
"Middle Distance Runner goes out of its way to flex its muscles and display some diversity, with "Man of the People" tossing in some Hives-like garage rock, "Shoot the Shit" cribs a little Soundtrack of Our Lives, "Hooks" comes over as a blippy-to-anthemic Postal Service nod, while "That's a Lie" ends things on a Jesus and Mary Chain wall of guitars. - Pop Matters
"MDR's sound clearly draws on mid-'90s British rock - think pre-OK Computer Radiohead, Blur, Oasis - and exudes a confidence and professionalism that many young bands lack." - The Washington Post
Middle Distance Runner - "Sun and Earth"
Stream some Middle Distance Runner at Myspace