runo plum caffeinated corner

One of my favorite pieces of art this year is “earlier from ’20” by runo plum. This body of work was created during her time spent writing alone for the year of 2020.

The ep is a captivating blend of lo-fi, folk, and indie rock that is filled with emotion and personal reflection. It’s a powerful example of how music can be an outlet for self-expression and storytelling.  The ep is a reminder of the importance of taking the time to reflect and process our own thoughts and feelings. It’s also a reminder that music can be a powerful force for connection and empathy.

As I sat in a bright and airy coffee shop in Dallas, Texas, I connected with Runo via Zoom. She was sitting in her room and we were sharing our daily thoughts and our drink of choice – both of us counting on the taste of coffee to start our conversations. Our chat was candid and comfortable, and it felt as if I was talking with a friend over coffee, exemplifying the meaning of a caffeinated corner.

We took time to chat about the ep, artist journey, and reflections on creating music. Read along to the interview here:

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Laura:

So in the beginning we are going to talk a little about your creative process and how you became an artist. Can you share a little story about how you got into music? Was it something that you kind of had as a child, or you kind of gradually found that you were interested in?

Runo: 

Yeah, so I wouldn’t say that I really was doing the artist thing, maybe until even 2020. I was a singer. That was kinda my thing. So I was in voice lessons and choir and stuff, and I did church stuff. I’m an ex Christian. Okay. I was on the worship team. I sang a lot there. Yeah. So that was kind of my thing. I knew some chords on the guitar, and I had written some things in my teen years, but it was all really cringe and not meaningful at all.

I went to college for music. I dropped out. But during those years, I was kind of writing, but it was just, like, not actually. It was more like a hobby than it was, like, my thing to write. Then I actually was doing it. I kind of made the decision to go for it, and then it kind of came together. Yeah, kind at the same time as I was learning to produce. That’s kind of how it happened.

Laura:

Yeah, I definitely get that religious experience. We will definetly talk about that because that is a whole thing. But kind of going down from discovering what kind of music you wanted to get into, what was kind of your creative process, like, did you have certain people that you were inspired by or kind of helped create the sound that you have today?

Runo:

Yeah, I think I had to figure out what worked for me. I felt like writing had always been super hard, actually, and I felt like I just couldn’t do it well, but I was trying to do it in the way that other artists said that they would do it.

And actually, there’s this interview with Adrienne Lenker where she talks about her writing process as an ever-flowing river that she just reaches down into and picks up from. I thought that was so cool. And I was like, I kind of had an epiphany because I can’t write like that. But I just had to kind of think about it in a different way because the river actually is there for me, just not when I’m sitting down to actually write. Like, if I sit down and I’m like, okay, I’m going to write a song, I’m so stressed out. And I’m like, no, I can’t do that. My brain is blank. There’s, like, a pressure. Instead, I just figured out a way that worked for me, which was constantly, actually constantly writing down my thoughts in my notes app, literally all day, even if it’s just, like, nothing.

I’ll just write down my thoughts about something. Sometimes it’s like a sentence, sometimes it’s like a full poem, and then it’s really authentic in the moment. And then I sit down later and I’ll go back to it. Yeah. That’s how a lot of my writing process is. Sometimes I write it in the moment if I’m feeling a really big emotion at that time. But usually it’s something where I’m sitting down, finding the chords and then placing the lyrics after.

Laura:

Yeah. I feel like the Notes app is the hub for all artist development, that it’s almost insane, people who can just come up with random things on the spot because half the time it’s not possible.

Runo

I know. Seriously, I don’t know. I forget how I feel about something. So I need that.

Laura:

If I’m put directly on the spot to do anything, someone will ask me, like, oh, who’s your favorite artist?

Runo:

What’s an artist?

Laura:

What’s an artist? I don’t remember people I’ve ever listened to in my life. Literally.

Runo

Oh, my God. Literally. It’s good to think about it.

Laura:

Are there any specific hobbies or activities that you do to kind of, I guess, flush out creatively? How I kind of see it is everyone does different things to kind of open up your brain to be inspired, such as going out, reading a book or watching a show or traveling. Yeah.

Runo:

I don’t really know if I have any specifically for writing music. I don’t really know. I feel like all of the inspiration just comes from living life and reflecting a lot and thinking. I have other creative things. I like to paint and I like crocheting and knitting, but those are more really chaotic outlets to get energy out. It’s like stimming, almost like a fidget. That’s how I think about other forms of art. But as far as music, I don’t know, there really isn’t anything.

Like, listening to other music maybe is actually a good way to be inspired to do my own music.

Laura:

Yeah. I love your little playlist, the calm playlist.

Runo:

I know I love all the songs on there.

Laura:

Yeah. So good. Let’s see. Do you have any specific places or people you often like to make music with?

Runo:

To be honest, actually, well, other than my partner. My partner is probably the only person that I like writing with.

Unless I had an established connection or relationship with someone, I feel like I would just be too uncomfortable to make anything genuine. But that’s kind of just where I am right now. I’m sure that will change as I meet more people and get more comfortable around people. But for right now, no, other than. I feel like my partner doesn’t really count because it’s my partner.

Laura:

Terms of that, I feel like it’s super important when you’re creating music to create something that’s personal to yourself and it’s perfectly normal not to collaborate. I think in terms of your EP Mountain songs, I felt like you both were able to just kind of capture a similar essence, that it made sense versus other collaborations where you’re like, okay, this didn’t make any sense. This one, it did make sense to do.

Since you were able to couple all of the songs that you wrote around that similar period of time, do you like the original version of ying to yang more. How would you compare it since that one’s like the first one you put out versus the ones you’re putting out now? Is there certain elements that you started working on down the line when you continued to create that are different than yin to yang. Such as, like, the live action epiphany.

Runo

Well, okay. So I wrote yin to yang to be a part of this project. So to me, they’re like the same vibe. They’re like siblings in my head. yin yo yang, the single that I put on Spotify that I did with Philip, that is kind of like, a little alternate universe kind of, because, yeah, I kind of just sent them the files, and they did what they thought was the vibe, which was the vibe, but they kind of did something different with it.

For my first single, it wasn’t necessarily, like, the sound that I was going for. I fucking love what they did with it, but it wasn’t what I originally planned for it. So the single is kind of like its own thing and yeah, a different universe. And then the re recordings of it are more of, like, what I intended it to sound like when I first wrote it, which is the same as all the songs on the EP, really, if that makes sense.

Laura:

Yeah, no, that makes total sense, because when I listened to it, I was like, this is different. If I was listening to it at, like, 01:00 in the morning, I’m like, am I going crazy?

Runo:

It’s a lot different vibe, for sure. But that’s what I intended it to sound like. More like stripped back and clear and simple and just like the song.

Laura:

Yeah. Sweet.

So kind of going off of that into what, earlier from ’20 is to you, what kind of emotions and themes would you associate with this project?

Runo:

It’s definitely, like, a lot of reflection and kind of, like, self realizations and growing as a person. And also isolation, I feel like is a big part of it because I wrote it during the first lockdowns, so I was feeling very isolated, but not necessarily in a bad way. It was kind of nice to be so isolated. Yeah, those are kind of the main themes of it, I think.

Laura:

Yeah. So kind of on that, is there anything that you’re particularly excited about this EP? Is there, like a certain song or just being able to share it?

Runo:

Yeah, I think just having it out in general is going to be nice, especially because yin to yang is, like, my top listened song and it feels nice. I think I said this. I wrote yin to yang to be a part of this project. So it’s kind of like a full circle or it feels complete to have. It’s like its home. Like its little home. It’s going to be in its little home or something.

So that feels good. And what else? Well, also, this EP just feels like, really like a part of me and a part of my sound and a part of what I always wanted my sound to sound like. And that feels really good, too. I didn’t realize that until recently because the production didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, the original production, so I kind of just forgot about it and was like, no, because also some of it has to do with my ex. And I’m just like, I don’t want to think about you. But then recently I realized that these songs are really important to me and, yeah, they’re like the first songs that I was really proud of and was like, okay, I want this to be my sound. And it was my first time that I really did production kind of.

Laura:

Also sounds really great, to be honest. I think being able to go back and listen to what you are kind of intake what you have done in the past and being like, okay, I did have something there and just adjusting it a little bit to fit what’s going on right now in the music industry. I think you would never know. You would be like, oh, I feel like you just recorded it and just did it this year.

Is there, like, a specific single that you were excited to release with it? Because I know you put out it was three singles. Was there one that you were like, I have to release this now. I’m really excited.

Runo:

I mean, Red Lights was great. I was really excited about that one. That was kind of, well, you know, tofu smell, right?

Laura:

Yeah!

Runo:

Okay, so Rae was the reason, actually, why this is even happening, because that was one of the first things that he said to me. He was like, I love your song Red lights. And I was like, red Lights? That’s just some random SoundCloud one. And then I was like, wait, that song is kind of good. Why did I not do anything with that? And then when we got back from tour, I was like, okay, I need to redo this.

So I was actually pretty excited about red lights because also, it’s the first track on the EP. I wanted to give all the other songs a chance, kind of because yin to yang had gotten so much more attention. I think the song that I’m most excited about is foreign language, which is the last song on the EP because I cut it from the original EP because it sounded like shit. And I was just like, no. So I cut it. Now it sounds really good. It was supposed to be on the EP, so it feels good to have it now.

Laura:

Yeah, it’s like a second chance EP. Everyone’s getting a second chance.

Runo:

Yeah, definitely.

Laura:

What do you kind of hope to achieve from this EP that’s different than the first one you put out?

Runo:

I feel like it is a lot closer to the sound I want. Well, also, it’s kind of like, almost like a foreshadow to what I want my album to sound like, kind of indie rockish vibe. The album will make a lot more sense now that I have this EP out, because it’s going to sound closer to this EP, probably, than the other singles that I have.

Laura:

Yeah, I’m excited we’re talking about the EP, but now you’re like, album, and I’m like wooo.

Runo:

I have only a few songs written for the album, and that’s going to be a couple of projects from now. I still have a shit ton of other acoustic songs that I want to get out first, but the album is the big goal that I’m working towards.

Laura:

At least that’s exciting. I feel like putting out your first album is intimidating, but if you have a good baseline to go from, it’ll be easier to be like, okay, I know what I like. I can just go from there versus just being like, I have no clue. I’m just going to guess and go from there.

Runo:

Exactly. Yeah, for sure.

Laura:

Sweet. I think what drew me to you initially was all the imagery and covers that you use because they’re so using it, like, esthetic. Very visually appealing. And I love little art and photographs. What’s your thought process behind choosing and selecting cover art?

Runo:

Well, yin to yang is a collage. That one is kind of its own thing. I wanted to do the black and white theme and the cat and dog is kind of like opposite vibes. So that’s that. The other ones are honestly just random, I thought looked cool and for some reason felt fitting.

Laura:

Yeah, I think I kind of saw it as little different personal looks into your life, even if they were random. I’m like, oh, it’s just so cute. All the different little things together made me wonder if they mean something, but most of the time they don’t. It’s more like, oh, it looks pretty. It does look pretty.

Runo:

Also, I like the fact that I am putting old men heads on mannequin bodies. It makes me happy because I feel like old men would not like that.

Laura:

We kind of talked about this in the beginning, but a little bit about your lyrics and how you write. I’m going to dive a little bit into your EP. Is there a specific line or song that you were really proud of in terms of lyrics and what would that be.

Runo:

Actually, with your other question about the length or the song being hard to write? This is kind of a double question or double answer, I guess. So. a very overdue goodbye is probably the hardest song on the EP for me to write. It took like, 50 versions. No, probably more than that. It took so much rewriting because it’s about my ex. It was really hard to write because they are like your textbook manipulative person, and they were like an echo chamber. So it was a lot of the same fights. And after we broke up and I wrote the song, every line that I would write, I would imagine that them fighting me about it, like, every line. So I had to get it perfectly. So that was the hardest song to write because it took so long and so many revisions.

It’s like saying when I think back on our relationship I’m not even thinking about any of the good parts about our relationship. It’s just a selfish thing and “I see you as more of a pile up of my own grief, than any kind of happy memory.” So I just feel that line. It’s just so accurate to how I feel. So that’s the lyric I’m most proud of. I feel like that line confuses people and I’ve gotten questions about it before.”

Laura:

Sweet. Awesome.

Well, that’s kind of like everything. In the lyrics of til I go red stating, “picture a scenario of being in a doctor’s office.” Is that the actual scenario that you were going through, or is it, like, metaphor?

Runo:

Yeah, people have asked me about that before. A lot of people assume that it’s a metaphor, but it’s very literal. A perfectly, intensely literal line.

I had a lot of health issues trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I spent three years going to doctors and trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong with me. Then I figured out I have a connective tissue disorder called hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which was causing a lot of my issues.

In the meantime I went to the doctors a lot. And in rural Minnesota, they are super judgy. They don’t like people like me. So with the basis of that addition to my ADHD and caffeine addiction, constantly anxious and fidgety, they assume that I’m on drugs or that I’m a drug addict because they don’t see people like me a lot and they hate the septum. They really don’t like that. And then they treat me badly, and they don’t take my issues seriously. So that’s kind of what the lyrics are.

Like, assuming I’m on something, meaning, like drugs, but then also about prescribing me till I go red. They would literally say, okay, here’s a prescription for this and not even test me for it. Prescribe me random as shit so I would get the fuck out of their office and they can move on with their day. Yeah, it was just really frustrating. But, yeah, it’s very literal. I spent a lot of time waiting in doctors offices and dealing with shitty people and nurses and doctors.

Laura:

I feel like the second you’re different than anyone around you, it’s just like, oh, well, there’s nothing I can really do for you. And you’re like, oh, you’re not going to help me? Yeah, that’s very insightful. I’ll be very excited to share with her about that.

So the end is more like, what I kind of add at the end. Just what you want to share about the EP earlier from 20, whether it’s, like, news about the EP of, et cetera, or what you’re doing in the future. Just like a blanket for anyone that listens to your music or will read this.

Runo:

I have a couple more music videos coming, which is exciting. I need to finish editing those. That’s kind of it, I guess. I have a few more merch items. I’m planning on doing lots of recording this winter, so that’s something to look forward to.

Laura:

Thank you so much for this. Loved chatting with you about this ep. Cannot wait to share with everyone.

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