Kevin Bronson on November 30th, 2015

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Run River North’s feel-good back-story matched the earnest feel of the Los Angeles quintet’s 2014 self-titled debut. The sextet of Alex Hwang, Daniel Chae, Jennifer Rim, Joseph Chun, John Chong and Sally Kang originally met at church in the Valley, rallying their instruments and voices around Hwang’s sweet songs under the name Monsters Calling Home. They got their big break when their DIY video for “Fight to Keep”, filmed inside their Hondas, caught the carmakers’ attention and led, surprisingly, to an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Under their new name they’ve done major tours and made big impressions — and they’ve already embarked on their sophomore album.

“Drinking From a Salt Pond,” out Feb. 26 via Nettwerk, was made with producer Lars Stalfors (Cold War Kids, HEALTH, Deap Vally, Chelsea Wolfe), and the initial single “Run or Hide” sounds like they’ve been taking their vitamins. Not only is the new single more muscular than anything on their debut, it reflects a different approach, frontman Hwang told KROQ.com, where the video for “Run or Hide” premiered. “The first album was about my view of family, home and the world and the rest of the band responding to these stories,” he explains. “This album is everyone’s individual responses to our collective self-reflection – with each member speaking through their respective instruments to express the relationships within the band rather than my folk stories wrapped in harmonies and swells.”

||| Watch: The video for “Run or Hide”

||| Also: Stream the song here: