For anyone who’s ever worked a 9 to 5 in New York City, Reeya Banerjee’s latest single “Runner” might hit a little too close to home, only in the best way possible.

It’s a sharp, breathless burst of punk-leaning indie rock that captures the madness of the daily grind with wit, style and honesty.

“Runner” is a love letter to the era of hustle. It zooms in on the high stress routine of Banerjee’s mid 2010’s self – juggling a full-time corporate job, a long commute from the Hudson Valley and the daily anxiety of missing a train that doesn’t wait for anyone.

She’s not just singing about running though. She was running, in high heels, through Grand Central Station, trying to hold it all together!

From the opening drum hits and staccato guitar riff, you can feel the pace quicken. Banerjee’s vocals are brisk and equal parts exasperated and exhilarated. The lyrics describe the chaos and turn the ordinary (coffee, platforms, street crossings) into something slightly absurd. The instrumentation keeps things tight, energetic and punchy, never allowing the listener to settle into comfort. And that is the point – this is not a song for lounging around but for surviving the weekday rush.

Where “Runner” truly shines is in its DIY spirit which extends from the song’s raw arrangement to the music video itself.

Directed by Banerjee and edited by frequent collaborator Khalifa Cyrus, the video recreates her real commute through Manhattan complete with a triumphant barefoot sprint through Grand Central’s iconic concourse.

Filmed guerilla style without any permits, it’s a chaotic visual echo of the track. It’s funny, stressful and totally NYC. It shows Banerjee dodging pedestrians and subway poles with the kind of street knowledge only a seasoned commuter could have. Despite its hyper-specific subject matter, “Runner” resonates far beyond New York.

Anyone who has ever felt the pressure of holding together a life that’s moving too fast will find something familiar here. There is the kind of realization that you made it through, that you can laugh back at it now and that maybe you were stronger than you ever gave yourself credit for.

Banerjee has always been an artist unafraid to mine personal experience for creative fuel, but “Runner” marks a tonal shift. It’s faster, scrappier and more charged than her previous releases, adding a new layer to her evolving sound. And while it captures a past version of herself, it also shows how far she has come as an artist, a storyteller and a survivor of the 6:22 train out of Grand Central.

Keep up with everything Reeya Banerjee on her Website

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