There’s a timelessness to Modern Refuge that’s difficult to ignore. While the New Haven-based band are only now unveiling their debut album, Runaway Dream, it arrives fully formed. Emotionally rich, musically expansive, and rooted in lived experience, this is not a band rushing to be heard. This is a band with something to say.
Led by siblings Sam Winfield (vocals) and Vincent Amendola (guitar), alongside Brian Winfield on drums and Jim McLoughlin on bass, Modern Refuge are more than a musical outfit. They are a family in every sense, bonded by friendship, history, and a shared creative vision. Runaway Dream, released today, is a deeply personal journey through memory, healing, and transformation.
At the centre of the album is “Pearl”, a cinematic, emotionally raw single that flows between hushed contemplation and soaring catharsis. “’Pearl’ is an atmospheric and emotionally raw track that shifts between moments of introspection and exultation, exploring themes of regret, longing for the past, and the path toward acceptance and emotional healing,” the band explains.
Produced by Tom Pisani, the album is sonically lush, yet never overworked. Each track holds space for its own breath. The arrangements are layered and expansive, yet the emotions cut straight to the heart. “Runaway Dream is a cathartic, soul-stirring experience,” they share. “The band’s electric chemistry, shared history, and diverse musical influences shine throughout. It pulls you into a dream, raises the hair on your neck, and invigorates you like the morning sunlight.”
Over the past two years, Modern Refuge have been steadily building their sound and presence. Singles such as “Coconino”, “Shale”, “Rope”, and “Wave Empire” introduced listeners to the band’s evocative style. “Velvet Gulch”, released earlier this year, hinted at the sonic breadth of the full album. They also released a live acoustic album, Hold Up The Mirror, which laid bare the emotional core of their songwriting.
On stage, the band have already shared bills with legends including Sammy Hagar and The Circle, George Thorogood and The Destroyers, as well as rising artists such as Talk and Rozzi. Their performances have earned them a reputation for intensity, sincerity, and undeniable chemistry.
The roots of Runaway Dream can be traced to a trip to Arizona. It was there, in the silence of the desert and under wide open skies, that the idea for the band truly crystallised. The landscape, the stillness, and the conversations had there sparked a creative awakening. That energy lives in every note of this record.
Fans of Jeff Buckley, Manchester Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, and Grace Potter will find plenty to admire in Runaway Dream. It is not an album of fleeting moments, but of lasting resonance. Modern Refuge have not only created a compelling debut; they have offered listeners a place of refuge all their own.
Follow Modern Refuge www.instagram.com/modernrefugeband
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