Currently comprised of founding members and married duo Mandy Gurung (vocals, guitar, production) and Diwas Gurung (guitar, production) with the band’s newest ember Steven Bartashev (drums), the Brooklyn-based indie pop act The Rungs was initially created by Diwas Gurung as a music therapy project for his spouse. Bartashev was recruited to complete the band’s lineup and flesh out their sound during the writing and recording project of their most recent EP, last year’s Everyday Visions, which was recorded by the band at the Gurung’s home studio, nicknamed the Well of Yells. 

“King of Books,” Everyday Visions’ third and latest single is a slow-burning and atmospheric track, centered around shimmering and arpeggiated synths, a soaring hook, buzzing and distorted guitar lines and Mandy Gurung’s ethereal cooing. At its core, the song’s narrator has finally realized that they need to let go of the person or thing that’s holding them back — and as a result, the song is the bitter tell off of someone who’s about to move forward. “This song is so personal, but it touches on something dark that I feel a lot of people can relate to in different ways, about recognizing and letting go of something that’s holding them back,” The Rungs’ Mandy Gurung explains in press notes. “It could be a person, a place, a habit, it could be anything that derails you or even makes you sick. “You’re no good for me” is like a twisted mantra for waking up and seeing it. It’s the first step to moving on.” 

Directed by Justin Sindone, the recently released, sensual and incredibly intimate video for “King of Books” is set at a burlesque show with the members of the band playing music while Danielle Saint Velvet seductively dances to the music. “I had seen Danielle Saint Velvet perform a few times in upstate NY and in some clubs in the Lower East Side. Her dances stood out to me because she does such versatile routines and always manages to move so effortlessly,” Mandy Gurung says in press notes. “Every detail, her facial expressions, choreography, costume design, they all flow together. She’s just so talented in that way. When she agreed to do the video we were so psyched! Our video director and crew put a lot of thought into how to capture the choreography, not just filming the dance but really creating something subtle and delicate. They followed her routine in a way that to me feels so captivating and intimate.”