'Juice' Review: Indie rock trio Born Ruffians' nostalgic new album enchants with groovy, optimistic anthems
The hardworking Canadian indie rock trio Born Ruffians have been around for a long time now. It's been 15 years since they first burst into the mainstream via Warp Records, and after five studio albums and three EPs, the band, which is known for its energetic, anthemic sing-alongs, has had time to reflect and take stock of its musical evolution. Singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, and drummer Steve Hamelin are a close-knit trio (with Andy Lloyd playing guitars/keyboards in the past). They're a group of friends who grew up together in Midland, Ontario before making the collective decision to move to Toronto to pursue their musical potential. After plenty of North American tours and performing with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Caribou, Peter Bjorn and John, Hot Chip, Tokyo Police Club, and even making an appearance on the TV show 'Skins', it's fair to say they've realized their massive potential.
Their sixth studio album, 'Juice', which releases on April 3, is an earnest and joyous celebration. It sees the band proudly looking back on their collective achievements thus far, with one eye firmly fixed on the bright future that beckons. "Memories strike up bolts of lightning into me / Surfing on a sea of ecstasy" sings LaLonde on the infectious track 'Breathe', while the vibrant, brass-infused opening track 'I Fall In Love Every Night' contains the lines "I fall in love every night / So future looks alright / Float like a stone in the ozone." The exuberant track 'Dedication' lays down a tongue-in-cheek marker for anyone who is passionately dedicated to something (like consumer capitalism) - "Like a mass production / The arrow flies to dedication / All in the name of dedication."
One thing is pretty clear, Born Ruffians are extremely proud of their dedication — they've all stuck together through the ups and downs and bound together by their fierce work ethic. "You get further as a band when all members embrace the strength of their creative relationship, keeping the external demands and pressures at bay,” Lalonde was quoted as saying in a press release. "'Juice' kind of reflects that as a title. We’re squeezing more out of this bond that we've forged over so many years,” he added. Some of the pressures the band faced during their formative years included leading a hand-to-mouth existence in a Toronto basement, staving off anxiety and restlessness with humor and optimism. “That anxiety will exist forever, I think,” said drummer Hamelin. “But the more you take your life into your own hands, it alleviates some of that anxiety.”
'Juice' consolidates on that purposeful feeling of "for better or for worse" — it calls for energetic major key melodies and a camaraderie that's elicited when your back is against the wall. 'The Poet (Can't Jam)' is a sardonic ditty to getting by despite one's lackluster potential, while 'I'm Fine' has Lalonde insisting that he's doing fine despite the feeling that he needs to "wake up from this nightmare." The sweet, romantic number 'Hey You' guest stars the vocal talents of Maddy Wilde, while the picturesque album standout 'Squeaky' melds some reverberant guitars with some poetic lyrics and hearty vocals, followed by the swirling modulations of the penultimate track 'Hazy Wave'.
Heard on their own, each song is a stellar anthem, but placed one after the other, they form chapters of an overarching story of optimistic survival. "Miss the stuff you did not need / Attention headaches, nicotine / Alcohol, and some amphetamines / Was it all the way it seemed? How I wonder what you see / In that wavy haze?" Lalonde belts on the rumbling chorus of album closer 'Wavy Haze', a story of getting over an addiction.
Only the band really knows the answer to that question, but we're supremely glad they've chronicled their buoyant attitudes to life via the medium of song. In the end, 'Juice' is a triumphant testament to the Born Ruffians' humble, squalid beginnings and a bold, compelling mission statement for the bright future that lies ahead of them.