B-Side Guys

Six cents and a dollar buy different kinds of relief. On “No Good Gone,” the opening track of Alex Runo’s “Living & Breathing” EP, this economic specificity carries the weight of countless poor decisions. It’s this attention to granular detail that sets Runo’s songwriting apart throughout these six tracks, each one examining different facets of survival with surgical precision.

Recorded in Malmö, this 25-minute collection builds its emotional architecture from the ground up. The title track “Living & Breathing” transforms codependency into something approaching transcendence, with Runo’s vocals finding new melodic pathways through familiar emotional territory. The production maintains a careful balance between polish and grit, allowing the raw edges of performance to remain while never sacrificing clarity.

“Paper Love” emerges as the EP’s structural keystone, examining how relationships can feel simultaneously substantial and fragile. The arrangement builds tension through repetition, each iteration of the chorus gaining weight through subtle variations in Runo’s delivery. It’s the kind of song that reveals new layers with each listen, its apparent simplicity masking careful craft.

“White Flag” appears twice in the collection – first in its studio version, then in a live recording that proves why Runo considers performance the cornerstone of his artistic practice. The studio take builds its surrender narrative through precise dynamic control, while the live version allows more space for spontaneity. Comparing the two becomes a masterclass in how small performance choices can reshape a song’s emotional impact.

“I Am More Than This” closes the original material with a declaration that feels earned rather than proclaimed. The production here is particularly noteworthy, using space as effectively as sound to create moments of reflection between bursts of intensity. Runo’s vocal work demonstrates why he’s earned such high praise in Swedish music circles, though his technique never overshadows the song’s emotional core.

Throughout the EP, Runo’s songwriting shows a remarkable ability to find new angles on universal themes. Whether processing anger, hope, or sadness – the three emotions he cites as central to this collection – his approach favors precision over broad strokes. A battle isn’t just lost; it’s lost while winning, a particularly cruel kind of defeat that anyone who’s ever been in a dying relationship will recognize.

These songs suggest an artist who uses writing as a discovery process rather than a mere documentation of feeling. Runo’s admission that he sometimes doesn’t understand a song’s meaning until after it’s written rings true – these tracks feel like excavations rather than constructions, each one digging deeper into emotional bedrock.

The decision to include both versions of “White Flag” proves savvy, as they serve different purposes in the EP’s arc. The studio version acts as a culmination of the collection’s emotional narrative, while the live take demonstrates why Runo describes performance as his oxygen. Together, they create a fitting conclusion to a project that’s all about finding different ways to breathe through difficulty.

At just over 25 minutes, “Living & Breathing” makes its case efficiently. There’s no filler here, no moments where the energy flags or the writing becomes less precise. It’s the rare EP that feels complete rather than merely short, each track earning its place in the sequence. What emerges is a portrait of an artist who understands that the best way to wrestle with big emotions is to pin down their smallest details.