Toronto-based band Born Ruffians have released a follow up album to their 2013’s Birthmarks. Their forthcoming album, entitled RUFF, uses dark humour and catchy hooks to convey the reality of touring and being in the industry.
The album begins with the track “Don’t Live Up” which conveys the cyclical, imperfect life of a musician. When asked about the music video and touring, bassist Mitch Derosier said, “You get so into the groove of it that it becomes such a routine and a lifestyle that there are parts of it that I do really weirdly like.” Singer Luke Lalonde added, “We’re creatures of habit. We like routine. You get so used to those things that when tour is over you don’t know how to deal with those things.” The same theme continues on into the second track, “Yawn Tears.” Lalonde’s howls align with the unique funk to deliver a catchy tune.
Throughout the album, there is a strong juxtaposition both musically and lyrically. Less climactic, repetitive songs like “F**k Feelings” and “Don’t Worry Now” are placed before energetic anthems like “(Eat Sh*t) We Did It” and “When Things Get Pointless I Roll Away.” With songs such as “We Made It,” dark lyrics are positioned against catchy hooks, which results in a conflicting sound and mood throughout the single. In the chorus, Lalonde’s raw voice brings the listener back to life. The album jumps from one extreme to the other, which leaves the overall impression of messiness. However, compared to previous albums, the tracks feel more natural. RUFF is finished off with the burlier, more cynical “Let Me Get It Out.”
Born Ruffians have been in the music industry for quite a while. They’ve been around the bend and have experienced more than most bands could say, and this album conveys the ups and downs of these experiences.
“This record is strangely the most satisfied we’ve felt after finishing recording,” Derosier said. It harshly dives into topics of the monogamy of touring, playing, and recording songs. Compared to previous releases, RUFF delivers a more innovative, natural sound with classic, anthemic favourites.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Toronto indie-rock band Born Ruffians just before their show at the Starlight to discuss touring and their new album, RUFF.
Claudia Idzik: You kicked off your RUFF tour in Toronto at the Indie88 Birthday Party this past weekend. How was that?
Mitch Derosier: It was awesome. The first few songs were okay, the rest were way better. It was such a fun show to play and it felt like the start of everything. We’ve been doing shows on and off this whole year but it was mostly writing and recording and getting everything ready. Now it’s just starting to rehearse and get ready for tour because it’s going to be three months of back and forth, all over the place.
C.I.: Part of your tour includes a Europe leg. Are you excited for that?
M.D.: Yeah, for sure.
Luke Lalonde: It’s funny because if you’re going on a trip to Europe it’s different.
M.D.: It’s hard to make money in Europe for a band. It’s just sweet that there are promoters that are willing to bring us over and we can do that. Being able to have done that over the past seven, eight years- we’re super lucky with that. Even though we’re not doing it to make money, we’re doing it for the shows and the love of the game.
C.I.: You guys just released a music video for your single “Don’t Live Up” and it depicts the consistency and repetition of a touring band. Would you trade that life for anything else?
M.D.: Throughout the video and the tour, there’s the humor in it where it’s like, ‘isn’t it hilarious that we’re doing the same thing everyday even though you’re going all over the place?’ It’s basically the same; wake up, get in the van, go, drive for a bit, get out a lot, drive, get out, drive, get out, and sometimes I’ll be like, ‘I wonder if I’ll buy a snack to entertain me in the van today?’ Stuff like that. There is something funny about it- you get so into the groove of it that it becomes such a routine and a lifestyle that there are parts of it that I do really weirdly like. You know what’s going to happen.
L.L.: It’s just very human. We’re creatures of habit. We like routine. You get so used to those things that when [the] tour is over you don’t know how to deal with those things.
M.D.: When the tour is over you’re kind of like, ‘Wait, I can do anything?’
L.L.: The video is trying to tap into that sort of cyclical, like, this is the same day, over and over, and we’re literally going over a circle with the same thing.
C.I.: Is it more of a negative scenario in the music video?
M.D.: It’s a little of both.
L.L.: Well, I was talking to [the director Jared] about some of the woes of that element of performance—when you’re reciting the same lines over and over and you’re doing a play every night that’s the same play. Every once and a while you lose connection with that dialogue and with the crowd and you’re like, ‘What am I doing?’ And then it gets really great and you have an amazing night or an amazing song and then something shitty happens. And Jared was like, ‘I’ve talked to a lot of bands about this. A lot of people feel that way.’ You get off stage and you’re kind of like, ‘Ugh.’ So there’s that sometimes and that’s what he was trying to tap into- is that kind of conversation about the monotony and how sometimes it’s kind of rough. But also even that was really fun. It’s fun to just run around in a circle in the same way.
M.D.: I was just going to say- that wrapped it up for me. It’s hilarious and can be really boring or you kind of get in this insane headspace of being like, ‘I forget where I am,’ but in the end, something hilarious will happen where you just giggle about the dumbest joke in the van forever. We’re just getting started touring and we’re just trying to get the set going and feeling right. Both the Toronto and Montreal shows felt really great to start but we did play the same set at both shows.
C.I.: If you were to describe RUFF in a few words, what words would they be?
M.D.: We were talking about how this record is strangely the most satisfied we’ve felt after finishing recording. We’re psyched about it. It felt like we hit a lot of the right things and the things that we wanted to do coming out of the jam space. Your new record is your best record.