Let it go with “Falling Out” by Indian Run and Paper Lights

When holding on becomes toxic, you have to let it go. Easier said than done. But in that moment of giving up control, so much good can come—healthier relationships, better mental health, and more. So Indian Run and Paper Lights collaborated to tell us just that—give up that piece of control that’s hurting you.

The two wrote this song using a technique Thom Yorke of Radiohead was famous for: stream of consciousness writing. Stan Becker (aka Indian Run) sang the first lyrics and melodies that came to his head over the sampled opening bars. Dan Snyder (aka Paper Lights) riffed pianos and vocals on top.

Just as the song says to give up control, they did too. Trusting in this instinct led to beautiful sprinkles of piano chords dancing in the background, conversations between the guitar and keys, and the powerful line from which the song takes its name. “I just hope we’re ok falling out,” they sing—trepidation at the unknown yet a sense of determination underlying it.

In the short two and a half minutes the song lasts, the pair moves from techno-like variations on the titular words to flute fancies fluttering away with the ending. Both feel intangible and impossible to hold on to, again, powerfully reinforcing the theme. So, let it go and hit play.

Stream “Falling Out” below.

Ben McCoy

Ben is an advertising Madman who spends his days with words and music. When he’s not writing for his supper, he’s eating it at some of NYC’s most interesting restaurants.