Nearly a decade after their genesis, Born Ruffians still sound as raw and visceral as the day they were born.

Their third LP under the Born Ruffians name, Birthmarks seems to revel in that stripped back feeling. When all the superficiality has melted away, these songs remain, crashing reminders of their roots.

This album feels so natural, like wet, brown leaves thawing out in melting snow. It’s the most summery winter album I’ve heard. It’s a mix of rollicking distortion and harmonic energy. Like lens flare in the sparkling tundra, sunny vibes break through the cool feeling of this album, making for very refreshing listening.

Born Ruffians belong somewhere between the summery spark of Vampire Weekend and the wintry wateriness of Fleet Foxes. They hold the balance perfectly, and though they may sound sort of like something you’ve heard before (and who doesn’t really?), their fusion of sound makes them delectably different.

I love albums that can transport you. Birthmarks is primal, simple and tuneful. It takes me to the roots, to the beginning. It makes me feel like dancing barefoot in the dirt, and it’s freeing.

Golden Promises is coldly warming ballad that represents the album finely. It begins with Luke Lalonde’s wavering vocals and minimalist keyboard. We revel in his sweet loneliness. It’s solemn but not saddening. The rest of the band then crashes in, awakening us from hibernation with beating, joyful noise.

So Slow is a New Romantic tribute in the vein of dramatic tracks like Ultravox’s Vienna. Distorted echoes punctuate the track emphasising the isolated feeling of this album. “Everything around me is covered in disease, I’m protected by a tree”. Born Ruffians retreat in our most primordial nature, putting faith in the natural.

But by far, my favourite track is the single and my song of the year so far, Needle. This is a beautiful ode to loneliness and isolation, the feeling of being hidden by a harsh environment and unwanted by those we love from a distance. The quiet somber opening explodes with defiance in the chorus. There’s an acceptance of difference and a rejection of solitude. All the lonely ones will find a way to be loved.



 

This album is cool and warm. It oozes joyful loneliness. It takes us back to our roots of solitude and isolation. It’s sombre, happy, sweet, solemn and complex. Like being born again. Born a ruffian. Born Ruffians! With Birthmarks! I think I get it now.

-Nat Tencic