Born Ruffians

Last updated
Born Ruffians
Born Ruffians - Meteor - Nov 2023.jpg
Born Ruffians performing in November 2023; from left to right: Maddy Wilde, Luke Lalonde, Mitch DeRosier, Steve Hamelin
Background information
Origin Midland, Ontario, Canada
Genres Indie rock, post-punk revival
Years active2002 (2002)–present
Labels Yep Roc, [1] Warp, Wavy Haze Records, Paper Bag
MembersMitch DeRosier
Steve Hamelin
Luke Lalonde
Maddy Wilde
Past membersAndy Lloyd
Adam Hindle
Website www.bornruffians.ca

Born Ruffians are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto. Officially founded in 2004 in the Georgian Bay town of Midland, Ontario, the band is composed of frontman Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, drummer Steve Hamelin, and keyboardist Maddy Wilde. During the 2010s, they were also joined by Andy Lloyd (guitar/keyboards) and Adam Hindle (drums). Born Ruffians released their debut album Red, Yellow & Blue in 2008, and have since released eight albums in total, including the latest albums being Juice and Squeeze, released in 2020; and Pulp released in 2021.

Contents

Born Ruffians performing at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in 2007 Born Ruffians @ Bowery.jpg
Born Ruffians performing at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in 2007

History

2000s: Formation and debut records

The band formed in 2002 when cousins Lalonde and DeRosier met drummer Steve Hamelin at Midland Secondary School . Originally formed under the name Mornington Drive, they self-released an album called Makeshift Metric Catastrophe. In an interview, DeRosier described it as entirely homemade, "It was burned onto CD in Steve's basement, the packaging was sewn by Steve's mom and I think Luke painted the covers." [2] [3]

After renaming themselves Born Ruffians, the band moved from Midland to Toronto in 2004. [2] After some local performances and a growing online reputation, the band was signed to the UK electronic music label Warp Records. They released their self-titled debut EP in 2006. It was recorded by Ryan Mills at Little King Studio (now Sleepytown Sound). They received extensive airplay on CBC Radio 3 with their debut single, "This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life," as well as a cover of Grizzly Bear's single "Knife" which the band recorded live on KEXP.

In 2007, they released the single "Hummingbird," which was included on their first album Red, Yellow & Blue . [4] Born Ruffians' Red, Yellow & Blue was nominated in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Pop/Rock Album of the year.

In 2009, they recorded a cover of two Aphex Twin songs for Warp20 (Recreated), a compilation.

They appeared in an episode of the second season of British teen drama Skins , playing their song "Hummingbird" in a night club. [5] The song is also featured in a television advert in the UK for Orange mobile telecommunications' "Animal" campaign. "Hummingbird" is also featured in a car advertisement in Australia. The band was featured in episode seven of the comedic web series, Nirvana the Band the Show, playing as themselves as they rehearse with a new member of the band. On July 31, 2009, the Born Ruffians played for Nirvana the Band at The Rivoli for the wrap of their web-series. Footage of this show will be included in episode ten. [6]

First tours

They toured with Franz Ferdinand, Caribou, Peter Bjorn and John, Hot Chip, The Hidden Cameras, Tokyo Police Club (with whom they have also performed songs on stage) and The Honorary Title. [7] They toured Canada (mostly Ontario) throughout April 2008, completing the North American leg of their tour on April 26, 2008, with an album release party at Lee's Palace in Toronto. In May and June 2008, they finished their UK tour and continued touring throughout Europe. [8]

They toured Australia in January and February 2009 as part of St Jerome's Laneway Festival along with Girl Talk, Stereolab, Architecture In Helsinki, The Hold Steady, The Drones, Cut Off Your Hands, Four Tet, Tame Impala, El Guincho, Jay Reatard, Buraka Som Sistema Dj/Mc Set, The Temper Trap, No Age and more.

Say It and Birthmarks (2010-2014)

The band's second album, entitled Say It , was released June 1, 2010. The album was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Toronto and mastered at Rusty Santos' studio in Brooklyn. The first single from it was "What To Say" followed by "Nova Leigh" and "Oh Man". [9]

In April 2011, their single "Little Garçon" appeared in an American Express commercial, Real Tweets, which included edited versions of tweets from @activecultures and others.

The band's 2013 album, Birthmarks, was released on April 16 via Paper Bag Records. The band spent roughly three years writing all over the world including several months spent living together in an old farmhouse in rural Ontario. [10] The album was recorded at BoomBox Sound with producer/engineer Roger Leavens and engineer Marcel Ramagnano. Following the record, drummer Hamelin took leave of the band to pursue a degree in history and international relations. [11] Drummer Adam Hindle officially joined the band during the second tour to support Birthmarks. At the 2014 Juno Awards, the band was nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year. [12]

Lalonde revealed in an interview with Revue Magazine that he has been working on an acoustic Born Ruffians EP since the summer after Birthmarks was released. This acoustic EP was released on the band's website, available for free download. A total of nine tracks were released. [13]

RUFF and Uncle, Duke & The Chief (2015-2019)

On October 2, 2015, the band released their fourth studio album, RUFF. The band fluctuated between a trio and quartet in the following year, with drummer Hamelin rejoining the band and guitarist Andy Lloyd later leaving, following the birth of his daughter. [11]

Lalonde had an acting role in the 2017 film Sundowners . [14]

Born Ruffians released their fifth studio album Uncle, Duke & The Chief in February 2018. The album was the final record produced by acclaimed musician Richard Swift. [11]

In 2018, the band hosted their first ever show for Shondi Festoon. In an interview, DeRosier explained, "Shondi Festoon is the biggest inside joke that we share with our fans. [...] It didn’t feel like us to do a branded holiday kind of thing, so we made up our own holiday." [3]

JUICE, SQUEEZE and PULP (2020-present)

On April 3, 2020, the band released the album JUICE. The album was released on the band's own record label, Wavy Haze Records. The label shares its name with the single "Wavy Haze" off the album JUICE. [15] Its companion SQUEEZE was released later that year on October 2, 2020. On April 16, 2021, the last album of the trilogy was released, PULP. [16] [17] The trilogy of albums was produced by Graham Walsh from band Holy Fuck. [18]

In 2020, the band introduced a fourth member to the group, Maddy Wilde, formerly of the band Moon King, on vocals and keyboards. In an interview, Lalonde says "It feels like Maddy was always meant to be. We've been writing a lot of music together. It's been really great to have her in that process. She has an effortless way of fitting in and playing along. And I love singing with her too." [18]

In 2022, the band released singles "Chrysanthemums" and "Don't Fight The Feeling". [19] In 2023, drummer Steve Hamelin acted in the film BlackBerry . [20]

Band members

Former

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
UK
Indie
[21] 		US
Heat.
[22]
Red, Yellow & Blue 33—
Say It
  • Released: June 1, 2010
  • Label: Warp Records, Paper Bag Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
—37
Birthmarks
  • Released: April 16, 2013
  • Label: Yep Roc Records, Paper Bag Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download [23]
——
RUFF
  • Released: October 2, 2015
  • Label: Yep Roc Records, Paper Bag Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
——
Uncle, Duke & The Chief
  • Released: February 16, 2018
  • Label: Yep Roc Records, Paper Bag Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download [24]
——
JUICE
  • Released: April 3, 2020
  • Label: Wavy Haze Records, Yep Roc Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download [25]
——
SQUEEZE
  • Released: October 2, 2020
  • Label: Wavy Haze Records, Yep Roc Records
  • Format: Vinyl, digital download [26]
——
PULP
  • Released: April 16, 2021
  • Label: Wavy Haze Records, Yep Roc Records
  • Format: Vinyl, digital download [27]
——
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

EPs

TitleDetails
Born Ruffians EP
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Warp Records
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital download
Plinky Plonk EP
Acoustics EP
XTRA RUFF
  • Released: April 22, 2016
  • Label: Warp Records
  • Format: Digital

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
UK
[21] 		UK
Indie
[21]
"This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life"2006——Born Ruffians EP
"Piecing It Together"——
"Hummingbird"20078233 Red, Yellow & Blue
"I Need a Life"2008— [upper-alpha 1] 12
"Little Garçon"——
"What to Say"2010— [upper-alpha 2] — Say It
"Nova-Leigh"——
"Oh Man"——
"Needle"2013—— Birthmarks
"Slow"2014——
"We Made It"2015——RUFF
"When Things Get Pointless I Roll Away"——
"Don't Live Up"——
"Love Too Soon"2017—— Uncle, Duke & The Chief
"Forget Me"——
"Miss You"2018——
"I Fall in Love Every Night"2020——Juice
"Dedication"——
"Wavy Haze"——
"Breathe"——
"30th Century War"——Squeeze
"Waylaid (Edit)"——
"Beyond the Lightning"2021——Pulp
"Checkin' Out"——
"Chrysanthemums"2022——Non-album singles
"Don't Fight The Feeling"——
"—" denotes recording that did not chart or was not released

Notes

  1. ↑ "I Need a Life" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 80 on the UK Physical Singles Chart Top 100. [21]
  2. ↑ "What to Say" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 72 on the UK Physical Singles Chart Top 100. [21]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Born Ruffians". Yeproc.com. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
  2. 1 2 "Born Ruffians Are Reborn". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  3. 1 2 3 "THEN AND NOW: Born Ruffians waxing nostalgic about music and beautiful Midland". MidlandToday.ca. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  4. ↑ "A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best Canadian Indie Rock Songs of the 00s Part II". Vice, Cam Lindsay Apr 10 2017,
  5. ↑ Lindsay, Cam (2018-02-22). "Rank Your Records: Luke Lalonde Looks Back at Born Ruffians' Catalog". Vice. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  6. ↑ Born Ruffians (2008-12-01). "Nirvana The Band The Show The Born Ruffians Cameo". Born Ruffians official website. Archived from the original on 2008-04-13.
  7. ↑ Kai, Nicole (2007-03-19). "Born Ruffians to record full-length after brief tour". Chart . Archived from the original on 2010-02-10. Retrieved 2007-10-06.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ↑ Born Ruffians (2008-04-06). "Live Shows: Forthcoming 2008". Born Ruffians official website. Archived from the original on 2008-03-14. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  9. ↑ Suarez, Jessica (2009-12-11). "Progress Report: Born Ruffians". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  10. ↑ "Interview with The Born Ruffians: This time we'll do the opposite". Artistxite.com (Interview). 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  11. 1 2 3 "Born Ruffians Return to Their Roots With New LP". Flagpole. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  12. ↑ "Born Ruffians up for Juno Award". Simcoe.com. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Hartley, Robby. "Born Ruffians to Play First Grand Rapids Show, Reveal Plans for Upcoming Acoustic EP". Revue Magazine. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  14. ↑ Norman Wilner, "Sundowners serves up low-key pleasures". Now , August 24, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Born Ruffians Roll Out New Song "Wavy Haze"". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  16. ↑ "JUICE, by Born Ruffians". Born Ruffians. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  17. ↑ "SQUEEZE, by Born Ruffians". Born Ruffians. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  18. 1 2 "Born Ruffians latest band to make the move to Hamilton". The Hamilton Spectator. September 29, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Born Ruffians Share New Single 'Don't Fight The Feeling'". Broadway World. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  20. ↑ Steve Hamelin at IMDb
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "Born Ruffians | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Born Ruffians Music News & Info - Billboard". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Born Ruffians' BIRTHMARKS is now available!". Yeproc.com. April 16, 2013.
  24. ↑ "SPILL NEWS: BORN RUFFIANS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM 'UNCLE, DUKE & THE CHIEF' TO BE RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 16 + RELEASE NEW SINGLE "FORGET ME"". The Spill Magazine. November 16, 2017.
  25. ↑ "BORN RUFFIANS REVEAL NEW ALBUM "JUICE"". Exclaim.ca. January 14, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Born Ruffians Announce 'SQUEEZE,' Their Second Album of 2020". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  27. ↑ "Born Ruffians Serve Up Extra 'PULP' for New Album". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
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