Review: The Rubens’ Self-Titled Album
“Wow.” That’s exactly what I said on my first listen to “My Gun.” The Rubens, a four-piece Australian band consisting of three brothers and a childhood friend, were able to draw me in all 3 minutes and 11 seconds of the first ever song to hear from them. And with every new track playing from the band’s self-titled LP, the anticipation of how theatrical the next song would be grew bigger.
The self-titled debut contains 11 songs that are all worth full attention. They’re a mixture of The Black Keys with a little more funk. Sam Margin is the band’s lead vocals and he helps provide that bold, full body sound The Rubens have quickly garnered attention for.
Even if their new material sounds good, my biggest worry about The Rubens is how they perform on stage. For many bands going through their first national tour in the U.S., the fan base may be diverse, but not in sync at a performance. You never really know the interaction between the fans and music, so they must deliver that same full body experience in person.
For anyone who would like to see them, “Surely Die” and “Paddy” should give you that badass feeling you go to shows for. Yet, I’m drawn back to “My Gun.” The entire album is full of Rock n’ Roll and guitar synth, but that one song, man, it’s pure awesome.
The Rubens will be performing in the US with Grouplove in conjunction with their U.S. release date for the album. The first date for their starts on September 9th, but the album drops the day after. Below are their tour stops and the date you should see them live:
Sep 9 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Sep 10 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
Sep 11 Portland, OR Star Theater
Sep 12 Portland, OR Alberta Rose Theater
Sep 14 San Francisco, CA Independent
Sep 15 San Francisco, CA The Chapel
Sep 17 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Sep 18 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge
Sep 22 Boston, MA Sinclair
Sep 23 Boston, MA The Armory
Sep 25 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Sep 26 New York, NY McKittrick Hotel
Sep 28 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
Sep 30 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
Oct 1 Washington DC U Street
Oct 2 Washington DC The Hamilton
Oct 9 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
Oct 10 Chicago, IL Space