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"Echoes of You" lives in that specific space between heartbreak and healing—the kind of track designed to move your body even while your heart is breaking. Produced with Porter Hall, this is an upbeat EDM anthem anchored by the weight of real grief.
While the sound was inspired by the euphoric energy of John Summit and Dom Dolla, and the vocal emotive power of Ellie Goulding, the soul of the track is intensely personal. During the writing process, the phrase "Echoes of You" kept haunting me. It perfectly described the presence of absence—how the people we lose seem to linger in the quiet moments.
I channeled the loss of my grandfather, my sister-in-law, and my lifelong dog, Aubree. I took that raw, personal grief and reframed it into a story about a "forever" love lost too soon. It’s about the walls we build to keep the pain out, only to realize we’ve trapped ourselves in with the memories.
But ultimately, this isn't a sad song. It’s a survival song.
The line “I built these dreams out of pain / you keep dancing through the rain” is the turning point. It is the realization that loving hard and losing deep isn't a weakness—it’s a gift.
This song is about finding the courage to dance forward, even when the echoes are calling you back.
Posted By Marian Runk,
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Updated: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
My new music video, "New Year," premiered at Rainbow Rodeo last week, and is now up on my YouTube channel!
"Marian Runk takes a cautiously optimistic approach with her meditative video 'New Year.' The song tumbles off of Runk's tongue like a minuet, an almost stream-of-consciousness account of a small moment that ends up revealing a large impact."
Posted By Jolene Dixon,
Sunday, December 7, 2025
Updated: Monday, December 8, 2025
Hey yall!
Your melancholy Christmas song has arrived.
It's about letting go and trying to hang on to the beauty at the same time.
The unreal feeling of Christmas time in California, almost like they're faking their way through the holiday. And sometimes I've felt like I had to fake my way through the holidays.
Grief and heart ache don't take a Christmas vacation. And for most of us, they make themselves rather cozy, in fact, around the fire.
It's ok to be a little melancholy in the winter. Tis a season.
"Patch of Blue" is Wattle & Daub's fourth album and includes the help of several Chicago area musicians. The tracks are a mixture of a subtle commentary on these times and a sense of hope that might be offered. The album is available for streaming and downloading at all the usual places. Several of the twelve tracks are starting to get some much appreciated airplay. All songs are originals.
1. If I Were a Tree
2. Jimmy Carter Hammer Song
3. Back Too Soon
4. Washington, Illinois
5. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda
6. Winds of 1933
7. What Do They See?
8. Don’t Pursue a Kangaroo (A Cautionary Tale)
9. To the Field
10. Patch of Blue
11. What Good Is a Prayer?
12. St. Adalbert
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