What does Run! Run! Jump! Punch! sound like?

If chiptune and Blink 182 had a lovechild.

The review of ‘Pizza Trois Sauvages’ by Run! Run! Jump! Punch!

Aside from having a superb band name, the trio of musicians behind Run! Run! Jump! Punch! has carved itself out a high-energy niche. Pairing punk rock power chords from the early 2000s with a range of different chiptune and synthwave ideas, Run! Run! Jump! Punch! bring a unique party to your speakers. Their third album ‘Pizza Trois Sauvages’ continues to hone their vibe, creating an anthemic and rowdy burst of musical explosions of joy.

The opening trio of songs paint a diverse picture of sound, yet it strangely fits together well. ‘Mission DDZX’ opens the album with everything I love about the band. Punchy guitars. Bold, strident, and pacey chiptune synths stand on equal ground sonically to the guitars. Dynamic and bombastic percussion that cuts through the noise. It is a fantastic opener that deserves to be on repeat as a great example of chiprock. ‘Ryan’ follows it up with what I’d describe as “Dance Dance Revolution meets French rockers”. From the techno synth bass, the speedy BPM, the rave overtones – it is a party for the senses and a joy to listen to. ‘Ping Pong’ starts off as a playful Americana rock track where ping pong balls bouncing on the table make up the percussion. Then, for the choruses and later in the track, more chiptunes and rubbery synths seep in to create an up-tempo finale where the BPM shoots up. It is also the first track on the album featuring vocals (in French), and they are suitably punky and whatever in tone.

‘Sandwich Crudités’ is funky. The bassline slaps and the overworld map synth sets mesh with more techno elements to create a playful, uplifting rock track. The guitars are allowed to breathe here, letting smooth riffs and solos run free. The flip side is the short and childlike ‘Mes dix maudits doigts’ (my ten cursed fingers). The playful nature in this track comes from lots of tinpots and tuned percussive blocks that clunkily clonk out detuned ideas over light rock. ‘Trampoline’ is a two-minute power pop explosion that would work in a modern Sonic soundtrack. Emulating an Anamanaguchi-style track, it rocks the big chords with a retro chiptune cute arpeggiator, and it works a treat. If you need your pulse raised, this is a go-to track.

I’d argue that ‘Disco Dragon’ is the standout track on the album. Each member of Run! Run! Jump! Punch! gets their time in the limelight. The interplay between synth and guitar in the verses, before uniting for a rousing chorus riff, is pitch-perfect. The percussion runs like a machine, and the song constantly evolves like a battle anthem. This is Run! Run! Jump! Punch! at their technical best. Moving towards the dancefloor, the disco-rock of ‘Everybody dance, everything is burning’ is beautifully cheesy. Taking inspiration from mid-1990s Eurobeat, we’ve got retro disco beats, 8-bit galloping synth rhythms, and some fun guitar moments. Over the top, the song title is shouted out like a punk track, sounding like a chaos anthem. Incredibly catchy, this one will get stuck in your head.

Continuing the wild spread of ideas, we enter the breezy surf rock of ‘Les essuie-glace font coucou’. Between the rain samples, the soft and hazy vocals, and the airy synths, there are moments of rock which are fleeting and far between. This song sounds like the morning after the storm. Dewy and fresh, it works as a penultimate track on the album, if not so much as a standout. It makes the closing track ‘Petit Tonnerre’ all the more impactful. Acting as a finale, merging huge anthemic power chords with xylophone melodies and layers of synths brings home a certain charm. There’s a childlike innocence meshing together with the harsher rock world, yet it sounds sympathetic. It is a cracking tune to close with.

Three albums in and there’s no one quite like Run! Run! Jump! Punch! Chippunk is what the trio deliver – with or without a pizza. It takes a lot of tweaking to produce music where the synths, guitars, and drums all feel like equal parts to create a powerful whole. On ‘Pizza Trois Sauvages’, this plucky trio have nailed it. Joyful.

Recommended track: Disco Dragon

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