🎤 Artist: The Yagas
🎵 New Single: Runaway
🎸 Genre: Alternative Rock / Gothic Rock / Dark Rock
🇺🇸 Country: United States
🎬 Featuring: Vera Farmiga – Lead Vocals
Hollywood actress VERA FARMIGA is turning up the volume once again as her alternative rock band THE YAGAS release their new single, “Runaway”!
Best known for her acclaimed performances in films including The Conjuring, The Departed and Up in the Air, Farmiga has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most recognisable performers.
But there’s another side to the actress that some fans are only just discovering.
She’s also the frontwoman of a seriously intriguing alternative rock band.
And with The Yagas continuing to develop their dark, atmospheric sound, “Runaway” offers another chapter in a musical project that blends haunting melodies, alternative rock influences and theatrical storytelling.
Forget the Hollywood red carpet.
We’re heading straight into the darker corners of alternative rock.
And we like what we’re hearing about this one! 🖤🎸
🎵 ‘Runaway’ – A New Chapter For The Yagas
The Yagas have returned with “Runaway,” continuing their journey into atmospheric alternative rock.
The band’s musical identity draws upon darker textures, melodic songwriting and the emotional intensity associated with gothic and alternative music.
It’s a direction that allows Farmiga to explore a different form of artistic expression from her screen work.
While acting relies on scripts, characters and visual storytelling, music provides another opportunity to communicate emotion through performance.
And for The Yagas, atmosphere is an important part of that identity.
The new single adds to the band’s growing catalogue as they continue establishing themselves within the alternative rock scene.
🎤 Vera Farmiga – From Hollywood To The Microphone
Vera Farmiga has enjoyed an extraordinary acting career.
Her performances have earned widespread critical recognition, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 2009 film Up in the Air.
She’s also become particularly associated with the horror genre through her portrayal of paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring film series.
But while audiences may be familiar with her work on screen, her musical ambitions demonstrate another side of her creativity.
As the lead vocalist of The Yagas, Farmiga is able to step away from established fictional characters and explore a more personal form of performance.
And there’s something rather fitting about an actress famous for atmospheric horror films becoming involved in dark alternative rock.
Let’s face it.
The connection almost writes itself.
🖤 The Yagas – More Than A Celebrity Side Project
Whenever an established actor launches a musical project, there’s an understandable temptation to focus entirely on the famous name.
But The Yagas are a band, not simply a celebrity with a microphone.
Their music is built around a collaborative approach, with each musician contributing to the group’s developing sound.
The band’s identity combines elements of alternative rock, gothic atmosphere and emotionally driven songwriting.
Rather than attempting to recreate the mainstream hard rock formula, The Yagas lean into mood, texture and a darker musical personality.
It’s an approach that gives the project its own identity beyond Farmiga’s acting career.
And that’s important.
Because ultimately, the music needs to stand on its own.
🌑 Dark Atmosphere And Alternative Rock Influences
One of the most intriguing aspects of The Yagas is their connection to the darker side of alternative music.
Their sound has been associated with atmospheric arrangements, haunting vocals and a cinematic sense of drama.
Those characteristics provide a natural foundation for a vocalist with Farmiga’s background in storytelling and performance.
Alternative rock has always offered musicians considerable creative freedom.
It can be aggressive.
Melodic.
Experimental.
Introspective.
Or deeply theatrical.
For The Yagas, that flexibility creates room to develop music that doesn’t need to fit neatly into one category.
And with “Runaway,” the band continue adding to that musical identity.
🎹 ‘Runaway’ Brings An ’80s Synth-Rock Twist
Released on 23 October 2026, “Runaway” takes The Yagas in a slightly different musical direction.
The single embraces 1980s-inspired synthesisers, new-wave influences and powerful alternative rock arrangements, while retaining the atmospheric character that has become central to the band’s identity.
Produced by Renn Hawkey alongside Brian Virtue, whose credits include Jane’s Addiction and Deftones, the song combines retro-inspired textures with contemporary rock production.
Rather than simply exploring darkness, however, “Runaway” carries a surprisingly uplifting message.
It’s a love song about escaping the circumstances that hold you back and moving towards happiness, freedom and the people who matter most.
❤️ Vera Farmiga Reveals The Personal Story Behind ‘Runaway’
The inspiration behind the song comes from a deeply personal chapter in Farmiga and Hawkey’s family life.
Farmiga has explained that the couple initially experienced uncertainty and fear following their young daughter’s autism diagnosis.
Sixteen years later, their understanding and perspective have changed profoundly.
Their daughter has brought enormous joy into their lives, and the song reflects the journey from those early uncertainties towards love, acceptance and happiness.
For Farmiga, “Runaway” is ultimately about moving towards something better rather than simply escaping something difficult.
It’s a message that gives the track an emotional depth beyond its energetic musical arrangement.
🎬 A Haunted Asylum, A Daring Escape And Halloween Horror!
Naturally, The Yagas weren’t going to release an ordinary music video.
Especially with Halloween approaching.
Directed by Sam Reiss, the official “Runaway” video transforms an old asylum into a wonderfully eerie setting.
The band appear as the building’s ghostly house musicians, while Farmiga portrays a former patient attempting to escape as her surroundings become increasingly oppressive.
The result combines gothic imagery, theatrical storytelling and the band’s musical performance.
It’s a particularly fitting visual concept for an actress whose film career has included some of modern horror cinema’s most recognisable productions.
Haunted asylum? Ghostly musicians? Vera Farmiga making a dramatic escape?
That’s Halloween viewing sorted! 🎃🖤
🎸 Meet The Yagas
The band’s current announced line-up features:
- Vera Farmiga – Lead Vocals
- Renn Hawkey – Keyboards
- Jason Bowman – Drums
- Mark Visconti – Guitar
The musicians originally connected through Rock Academy, a music school in Woodstock, New York, operated by drummer Jason Bowman.
After performing together through the school’s adult programme, they discovered a musical chemistry that eventually developed into The Yagas.
Their name comes from Baba Yaga, the mysterious supernatural figure from Slavic folklore.
It’s an appropriate choice for a band whose music frequently explores unsettling imagery, psychological themes and gothic atmosphere.
💿 From ‘The Crying Room’ To ‘Midnight Minuet’
The Yagas officially introduced themselves in late 2024 with their debut single, “The Crying Room.”
The band followed that release with their first full-length album, Midnight Minuet, in April 2025.
The independently released, ten-track record established their musical identity through a combination of alternative rock, industrial influences and atmospheric songwriting.
Songs including “She’s Walking Down,” “Life of a Widow” and “I Am” helped introduce listeners to the band’s distinctive sound.
The group subsequently released “Illusion” in September 2025, coinciding with the arrival of Farmiga’s film The Conjuring: Last Rites.
According to the band’s announcement, The Yagas have now accumulated more than 35 million combined streams and video views.
🎸 The Riff Report Says…
There’s something brilliantly unexpected about seeing one of Hollywood’s most recognisable horror actresses fronting a gothic alternative rock band.
But The Yagas are proving there’s considerably more to this project than celebrity curiosity.
“Runaway” brings a fresh musical direction, combining 1980s-inspired synthesisers with the band’s established dark atmosphere.
And the contrast between the song’s uplifting message and its creepy asylum-set video is particularly appealing.
On one hand, you’ve got a heartfelt celebration of love, family and finding happiness.
On the other, Vera Farmiga is attempting to escape a haunted-looking institution while a ghostly rock band provides the soundtrack.
Only The Yagas could make that combination seem perfectly reasonable!
The band’s willingness to experiment with different sounds while maintaining their distinctive identity makes them an intriguing addition to the alternative rock scene.
And with Halloween just around the corner, the timing couldn’t be better.
Dark visuals. Retro synths. Powerful vocals. And a surprisingly uplifting message.
The Yagas are back — and they’re running towards something exciting! 🖤🔥🤘
💿 Single Details
Artist: The Yagas
Single: Runaway
Release Date: 23 October 2026
Genre: Alternative Rock / Gothic Rock / Synth Rock
Lead Vocals: Vera Farmiga
Producers: Renn Hawkey and Brian Virtue
Music Video Director: Sam Reiss
Previous Album: Midnight Minuet (2025)
Country: United States
🎸 The Riff Report – Supporting rock, metal and the glorious racket in between.
