Today Runaway is released on CD, Vinyl LP and download with Deluxe 2CD, 2LP and Deluxe Digital formats available that include Live Acoustic versions of the album recorded across North America. The album contains the lead single Hell Or High Water plus new single Heart To Love. Earlier this week Passenger embarked on an extensive world tour in support of Runaway with a sold-out show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam on September 26th.
Runaway, Rosenberg’s tenth album in 11 years, was recorded between the UK and Australia with his co-producer, Chris Vallejo, but its aesthetic is North American. Sonically, too, Runaway draws on Americana, for instance the early work of Ryan Adams. Rosenberg imagined these new songs as unfolding against a backdrop of American landscapes. And so, rather than the usual video process, he and director Jarrad Seng spent a three weeks on a road trip across the US making videos for every song on the album. Five of these videos are already available to view: Heart To Love, shot on Las Vegas’ famous Strip; Hell Or High Water, set in the epic landscapes of a series of National Parks; the sublime Why I Can't Change, seeped in influences such as the Traveling Wilburys and early Fleetwood Mac; and album title track Runaway, which features Rosenberg running through spectacular locations including Death Valley and Monument Valley, Lombard Street in San Francisco, and New York’s High Line. Passenger also recently revealed a beautiful video for the haunting track for To Be Free, shot on the beach in Avalon, New Jersey, and starring New York City Ballet’s Emily Kikta.
In other Passenger news: The video for Passenger’s Ivor Novello Award-winning single Let Her Go has this week surpassed two billion views on YouTube, joining a very exclusive club which includes Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You, Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk ft Bruno Mars, and Adele’s Hello. Originally recorded in 2012, the single reached No.1 in 19 countries, with the accompanying album All The Little Lights achieving platinum or multi-platinum status in 11 countries. Passenger, aka Brighton’s Mike Rosenberg, is a streaming phenomenon who has also had well in excess of a billion streams on Spotify. Combined streams for advance tracks from his new album Runaway have already exceeded 25 million plays.
