Critically acclaimed Toronto band Born Ruffians are premiering their upcoming fifth studio album Uncle, Duke & The Chief at Billboard. The record is due February 16 on Yep Roc Records. Most recently, the band premiered the video for the single "Miss You," the third in a video trilogy starring frontman Luke Lalonde and directed by Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis of July Talk. It follows the videos for the tracks "Love Too Soon" and "Forget Me."
Following the release of Uncle, Duke & The Chief, the band kicks off a world tour atMontreal's Casa del Popolo on March 1. The tour includes a five-night residency in the group's hometown at Lee's Palace, with four of the shows already sold out; see below for a list of dates.
The first record since 2013's Birthmarks to feature the group's original three-piece lineup of guitarist/vocalist Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier and drummer Steve Hamelin, Uncle, Duke & The Chief is produced by Richard Swift (The Shins, Foxygen, Tennis, Nathaniel Rateliff).
Lalonde says of the band's reunited core trio, "We all have the same weird, shorthand language of knowing how to put a song together...it's really super-fast and efficient." The album's writing was greatly informed by both Bowie's passing as well as a cancer diagnosis for Lalonde's father.
Formed in rural Ontario, Born Ruffians arrived on the Toronto scene in 2004 and released a self-titled EP in 2006 (XL/Warp Records). Warp Records released their debut full-length album Red, Yellow & Blue and their sophomore effort, 2010's Say It before joining Yep Roc for 2013's Birthmarks and 2015's RUFF. The band has received extensive critical praise from NPR, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Noisey, Magnet Magazine, Under the Radar, the Village Voice and more, and has toured with The New Pornographers, Caribou, Tokyo Police Club, Franz Ferdinand, Peter Bjorn and John, Hot Chip, The Hidden Cameras, Girl Talk, Stereolab, Tame Impala and others.
In addition to his work with Born Ruffians, Lalonde also recently made his acting debut alongside Tim Heidecker in the feature film Sundowners. The New York Times praised Lalonde's "assured film debut."
Photo credit: Matt Barnes
BORN RUFFIANS LIVE
March 1 |
Montreal, QC |
Casa del Popolo |
March 2 |
Kingston, ON |
The Grad Club |
March 3 |
Kingston, ON |
The Grad Club |
March 7 |
Ottawa, ON |
The 27 Club |
March 8 |
Ottawa, ON |
The 27 Club |
March 9 |
Hamilton, ON |
Mills Hardware (SOLD OUT) |
March 10 |
St. Catharines, ON |
Warehouse |
March 15 |
Cleveland, OH |
Grog Shop |
March 16 |
Cincinnati, OH |
MOTR Pub |
March 17 |
Nashville, TN |
The High Watt |
March 18 |
Atlanta, GA |
Aisle 5 |
March 19 |
Carrboro, NC |
Cat's Cradle Back Room |
March 21 |
Washington, DC |
DC9 |
March 22 |
Philadelphia, PA |
Johnny Brenda's |
March 23 |
Cambridge, MA |
The Sinclair |
March 24 |
Brooklyn, NY |
Music Hall of Williamsburg |
April 4 |
Toronto, ON |
Lee's Palace (SOLD OUT) |
April 5 |
Toronto, ON |
Lee's Palace (SOLD OUT) |
April 6 |
Toronto, ON |
Lee's Palace (SOLD OUT) |
April 7 |
Toronto, ON |
Lee's Palace (SOLD OUT) |
April 8 |
Toronto, ON |
Lee's Palace |
April 25 |
London, ON |
Rum Runners |
April 26 |
Ferndale, MI |
Loving Touch |
April 27 |
Milwaukee, WI |
The Back Room at Colectivo |
April 28 |
Minneapolis, MN |
7th Street Entry |
April 29 |
Winnipeg, MB |
Park Theatre |
May 1 |
Edmonton, AB |
Starlite Room |
May 2 |
Calgary, AB |
SAIT's Gateway |
May 3 |
Nelson, BC |
Spiritbar at the Hume Hotel |
May 4 |
Vancouver, BC |
Fortune Sound Club |
May 5 |
Victoria, BC |
Capital Ballroom |
May 7 |
Seattle, WA |
Barboza |
May 8 |
Portland, OR |
Doug Fir Lounge |
May 10 |
San Francisco, CA |
Slim's |
May 11 |
Los Angeles, CA |
Teragram Ballroom |
May 12 |
Santa Ana, CA |
Constellation Room |
May 13 |
San Diego, CA |
The Casbah |
May 14 |
Phoenix, AZ |
Valley Bar |
May 16 |
Denver, CO |
Larimer Lounge |
May 17 |
Omaha, NE |
Reverb Lounge |
May 18 |
St. Louis, MO |
Old Rock House |
May 19 |
Chicago, IL |
Subterranean |
May 27 |
Aachen, DE |
Musikbunker |
May 28 |
Dortmund, DE |
Sissikingkong |
May 29 |
Hamburg, DE |
Hafenklang |
May 30 |
Berlin, DE |
Musik & Frieden |
May 31 |
Prague, CZ |
Meet Factory |
June 1 |
Erfurt, DE |
Franz Mehlhose |
June 2 |
Darmstadt, DE |
Bedroom Disco Open Air |
June 4 |
Roubaix, FR |
La Cave au Poétes |
June 5 |
Paris, FR |
Badaboum |
June 6 |
Bristol, UK |
Exchange |
June 7 |
London, UK |
Oslo |
June 8 |
Manchester, UK |
Soup Kitchen |
June 9 |
Glasgow, UK |
Broadcast |
Videos