Hard Times and Tough Knocks: Speedrun Returns with New Single “Memory”
Graphic by Paige Firsten (Crave Music Magazine)
Heatwaves and heartbreak are in the air this summer, and Speedrun has returned with a new single just in time. Transporting you back to the indie-rock golden years, “Memory” is a lively song that discusses the complexities of our own minds. The song conveys the uncomfortable and nostalgic feeling of remembering someone or something you have been trying hard to forget.
Nina Lüders, better known as Speedrun, is a NYC-based artist who is making significant strides in the indie-rock scene. Lüders grew up playing classical piano, but made the switch to guitar during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Documenting her journey of learning her favorite songs on TikTok eventually led to the creation of Speedrun, as well as landing her a spot as one of Monobloc’s guitarists. Her debut EP, Love’s Latest News, was released in 2024, and “Memory,” is her first release since.
The track starts with a bouncy guitar melody, while a simple disco-like guitar riff is layered underneath. Similarly, we get a funky bass line that hops around during the chorus, with an energetic, but steady, drumbeat to follow. While “Memory” is a clear-cut indie-rock song, the similarities to disco music are very evident; both genres place a heavy emphasis on rhythm, and the two have worked hand-in-hand for years now. Danceable guitar riffs and groovy bass lines, think Phoenix or Tame Impala, are all prominent in both disco and indie-rock. “Memory,” as well as all of Lüders’ previous work, serves as a love letter to the indie-rock renaissance of the 2000s.
One of the biggest consistencies in the music of Speedrun is how Lüders’ lyrics almost always feel like a love poem to someone or something. For the case of “Memory,” this is very evident. Lüders starts the song with the lyrics, “I hate the way you look at me / Like someone from a memory.” She does not want to be perceived as something from the past that now only exists in thought. The chorus follows suit with the lyrics, “Hard times and tough knocks, brought us undone / You did enough to me.” She is coming to terms with the fact that there is a reason this person is only a memory now. The idea of a love poem is shown clearly in the middle of the track, however. Lüders includes a spoken word of a French poem she wrote after the first chorus finishes.
Dans ta douce splendeur (In your soft splendor)
Lune ocre, tu es (Ochre moon, you are)
Un volet fermé (A shutter closed)
La couleur du depart (The color of departure)
Je te sens dans mes vêtements (I feel you in my clothes)
Je te vois dans la pluie (I see you in the rain)
Lent et sucré mon souvenir me pique (Slow and sweet my memory stings)
Comme la rosée je m’accrocherai à toi toujours (Like dew, I’ll always cling to you)
The poem is a beautiful and heartfelt display of how it feels to yearn for someone you no longer have. To feel someone in your clothes, see them in the rain, and claim you will cling to them always like dew, is a masterful display of human emotion. Lüders never fails to pull at the heartstrings in a romantic and scornful way.
The song ends as a wrap up to this idea of a memory and how it serves you. When you remember someone or something out of the blue, you go through different stages of love, loss and acceptance. The memories of this person have flooded the mind, and her display of acceptance comes during the last chorus, when the lyric changes to, “I did enough to you.” A small line, but an extremely significant one in the end. This brings us full circle, as she is now reflecting on how this relationship was a two-sided venture. Putting the line at the end of the track also serves as a reminder that she has moved on. A standout part of the track comes right after, when she says, “Boo!” A silly last word, but it describes how memories sneak up and scare you out of the blue.
“Memory” is an honest display of how love lingers even when we think it’s over. Despite its sorrowful and love-filled lyrics, the song is an upbeat masterpiece perfect for the hot winds of summer. This is still just the beginning of what’s next for Speedrun, and it’s an exciting start.
Keep up with Speedrun:
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