The Ballroom Thieves, ‘Blood Run Red’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Folk outfit the Ballroom Thieves are giving readers of The Boot an exclusive first listen to "Blood Run Red," one of the songs on their upcoming sophomore album. The revenge-fueled breakup song showcases the talents of the trio of vocalists and musicians, who have spent three years and two albums honing their craft -- and being the jilted lover has never sounded like more fun!

Since planting their roots in Boston's vibrant music scene in 2010, the Ballroom Thieves have garnered critical and commercial acclaim; their debut album, A Wolf in the Doorway, was released in 2015, blending folk with pop and gritty blues with modern gospel conventions. On "Blood Run Red," Martin Earley, Devin Mauch and Calin (aka, Callie) Peters pair visceral vocals with screaming cellos and relentless percussion. Readers can press play below to hear the track.

The Ballroom Thieves say that the rage embodied in "Blood Run Red" is intentional, as it puts listeners right in the middle of a "dusty Western gun fight between a wife and her no-good, lyin' man." The track was written by Earley's sister Annika.

"When my husband left me / He fled in the dead of night / Stars went black, empty bed / He stole clean out of sight," sings Peters, with a guttural loathing for that cheating man ... but don't worry, she'll get her revenge: "I got the gun and the silver bullet / Cast off my diamond ring / Oh, you got me running / Oh, you got me running / Blood run red on a stone of grey / My soul steeped in sin / But I won't forget the day / Like a jailbird, I will sing."

"Blood Run Red" will appear on the Ballroom Thieves' Deadeye, set for release on Friday (Oct. 21). The album, like this song, is raw but beautiful, written in the midst of two years of relentless touring. From famous festivals to crowded house shows, the Ballroom Thieves have traversed the U.S. many times over following their debut release, and in the process, they've learned hard but invaluable lessons about life on the road. Deadeye finds them processing and paying tribute to the paradoxical pairing of joy and heartache that comes with living life inside a small van and onstage.

"Life on the road for a burgeoning band is easily glamorized: the joy of playing a show, the wonder of encountering new places and people, the stories that amass," the Ballroom Thieves write on their website. "Yet the lifestyle can also be a trying one: the suffocating isolation of a van, the misery of being separated from home and loved ones, the unspoken grievances that stack tensions high."

Fans can pre-order Deadeye through PledgeMusic.

Listen to the Ballroom Thieves, "Blood Run Red":

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