The Rubens ProfileStalwart NSW outfit The Rubens have announced their return to active duty with a bang, offering up a brand new single and clip, Hallelujah, as the first taste of their just-revealed forthcoming second full-length Hoops, out through Ivy League Records this August.
The stompy, fist-pump-worthy anthem carries a lyrical gravitas behind the instrumental ebullience, with vocalist Sam Margin explaining that the song "is about people trying to force their religious beliefs or ideas upon you, and in the process destroying what it is they're plugging", though you'd be excused for being too caught up with that damn infectious hook to notice.
Hallelujah comes with some serious studio pedigree, The Rubens once more conscripting Grammy-winning producer David Kahne (Lana Del Rey, The Strokes) for recording and production duties, with mixing support coming from fellow Grammy-winner Michael Brauer (Coldplay). The clip itself was directed by the team of Peter Carstairs and Curtis Hill, and follows a most enthusiastic, if unkempt, individual engaging in a good, old-fashioned bout of strip-dancing underneath a bridge. Those are words we never thought we'd type consecutively.
Check it out below.
If Hallelujah has you excited, you're gonna love the 11-track Hoops (out Friday, 7 August, via Ivy League) - even more so if you're one of the dedicated souls who pre-orders the album: a very limited number of "Golden Ticket" bundles will be available with certain pre-orders, which include access to shows in Sydney (14 July) and Melbourne (15 July), while there are additional pre-order options also available, including signed CDs, T-shirts and vinyl goods.
See The Rubens' website for more information.
the rubens - hoops track list
1. Hallelujah
2. The Night Is On My Side
3. Hoops
4. Switchblade
5. Bitter End
6. Cut Me Loose
7. Things About To Change
8. Battles
9. Hold Me Back
10. The Original
11. The Fool
