The Rubens announced their triumphant return back in May with the sublime new single, ‘Hallelujah’, the first cut to be taken from the band’s eagerly anticipated sophomore effort, Hoops, which is slated to drop Friday, 7th August.
“We put more of a focus on how the songs would work in a live setting for this album,” said frontman Sam Margin at the time. “We wanted to write songs that would be fun for us to play live as well as fun for our audience to listen and move to.”
With the album set to drop later this week, Tone Deaf caught up with Sam and keyboardist Elliott Margin to discuss the recording of Hoops, what the band were hoping to achieve on their second album, and what fans can expect from their upcoming live shows.
Tone Deaf: With Hoops set to be released in just over a week, it’s been three years since the release of your debut record. What have you guys been up to in that time?
The Rubens: A whole lot of stuff. We toured the last record pretty solidly for two years after its release, both here and overseas. It was a steep learning curve for us to be playing a few shows here and there, to being on the road constantly. We learned a lot very quickly.
Coming off that cycle we decided to rent a house on the south coast to do some writing in. The place was a bit of a hole but it was right near the beach and had a pool out the front. We drank beer, had BBQ’s and wrote songs for five months. It was pretty perfect.
Once the writing was finished we headed up to Byron Bay for a couple of weeks of pre-production with David Kahne, then flew over to record in New York. That’s pretty much the gist of it up until this point.
TD: Hoops was recorded once again in New York with producer David Kahne, how did you find that experience the second time around?
TR: We went in to recording this time a whole lot more seasoned than we were on the first record. Two years of touring and months of writing meant we were prepared for the recording process and had a clear idea of what we wanted this record to be.
We do love our first record but when we look back on it there are little things here and there that we wish we had done differently. We didn’t want to feel that way about this one so we made a point of speaking up when we felt something was wrong or not up to scratch.
Of course this led to some disagreements between the band and David, but it was never anything that couldn’t be worked out. There were some sleepless nights and hair pulling but we knew it was all leading to something we could be proud of.
In the end we were lucky to be working with someone so passionate about the band and our music.
TD: Was the majority of the new LP written overseas also?
TR: No, all the music was written in Australia, from Menangle, to Sydney, to Coledale, Melbourne and Byron Bay. We had about 35 songs before we flew overseas to record, on the first record we had 15.
It was nice to have a good bank of songs to choose from but it got hard when it came to cutting the last few. Some really strong songs didn’t make it simply because they didn’t fit. We’re telling ourselves they’ll see the light of day eventually.
TD: What would you say has been the main sources of inspiration for writing the new record?
TR: Our main source of inspiration comes from music. Whatever genre we’re listening to, whether it be hip-hop or psych or whatever, we can find inspiration in it. If it’s a good song it’s a good source of inspiration.
Watching live music is another good source, and we get to see a lot of excellent live acts playing on the festival circuit. When you watch a band up on stage just owning it and the crowd loving it, you get an urge to be up there doing the same, so you go home and write even harder.
TD: Are there any standout artists who have influenced your writing of this record, or any old favourites who helped shape The Rubens as a band and perhaps continue to influence your sound and style?
TR: We get influences from all over the place really, it’s hard to single out one source. We grew up listening to Tracy Chapman, Van Morrisson, Fleetwood Mac and REM just because that’s what our parents had in the car.
If we were groomed on Guns N’ Roses our sound might be very different, but who knows.
TD: The self-titled record featured themes of heartache and coming of age, is this something that has continued on Hoops? In what ways do you think Hoops is different from the debut?
TR: The first record definitely was pretty angsty in hindsight. I guess that’s because we were younger and those themes were more relevant to us at the time. In terms of writing, I’ve mostly written fictitious stories rather than personal stuff. Probably safer that way.
I like to think that this record is more mature. I’ve definitely continued to write songs about break ups and bad relationships. As hard as I try to write love songs with happy endings I always end up destroying the relationship by the end of the song.
I’m either pessimistic or realistic. Not sure. Our new record isn’t just about relationships though, and I’m really glad it isn’t. There’s songs about, addiction, religion and one night stands too! Sonically, I think ‘Hoops’ is much more diverse than our debut.
We spent a huge amount of time experimenting with guitar pedals, different keyboards and drum sounds. It’s more punchy and rhythmic too. We realised after touring for 2 years that it’s important to write songs that are fun to play live. You are stuck with them for at least two years!
Luckily we actually love this album and thats pretty rare I think. For a band to be so happy with a recording.
TD: Were there any difficulties or obstacles that you ran into while writing and recording Hoops?
TR: There are constant hurdles while making a record but if there weren’t, I think you’re doing something wrong, like you’re not pushing yourself. The hardest thing is making sure you are staying true to what you want to achieve. Fighting the right fights, and basically just making sure you end up with something you can live with for the rest of your days.
One of the hardest things about writing an album is finding constant inspiration. Whenever I felt stagnant, I’d try and find a new place to write for a few days and it really helped me keep going. We wrote 35 songs in 8 different locations!
The second album pressure also came into play, but it was just a matter of pushing it to the back of your head. It’s interesting that once we’d finished the album and the pressure was relived, ‘Hoops’ the song was written.
The title track was written that late in the game and it was probably because we no longer felt the stress. It was a beautiful experience recording that one.
TD: The last few years have seen The Rubens touring around the world, what’s that been like? How has that influenced you as a band?
TR: Touring is what we live for. Writing and recording is fun, but you don’t get that amazing feeling unless you’re playing to an audience. The energy and adrenaline is really addictive. I guess we learned how to play a bet live show, how to entertain and connect with the fans.
I reckon it’s taken us like 100 shows to get to a point where we feel like we belong on stage. Even now I get super nervous though.
TD: What was it like to be back on home soil playing Splendour in the Grass last weekend?
TR: The best show of our lives. The crowd was huge. We rehearsed really hard to get the new songs tight and we all felt confident on stage so i think that allowed us to perform naturally and really get into it. I crowd surfed in a blow up pool, which was hilarious. Prop humour.
TD: Were Splendour-goers privy to any yet to be released tracks off the new record? If so, how did you find playing them live?
TR: They knew ‘Hallelujah’ and responded really well to it. It works so well live because of that driving drum beat and heavier guitars. A good bunch knew ‘Hoops’ too. So cool because it’d only just gone to radio that week.
The new songs are so fun to play live, and i guess if we are having fun, the crowd feels it and get into it with us.
The Rubens National Tour
Wed 16 Sep
Prince of Wales | Bunbury, WA (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Thu 17 Sep
Settlers Tavern | Margaret River, WA (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
* Winterbourne not appearing
Fri 18 Sep
Astor Theatre | Perth, WA (18+)
www.stagetix.com.au
Sat 19 Sep
Red Earth Festival | Karratha, WA (18+)
www.reaf.com.au
* Saskwatch and Winterbourne not appearing
Fri 25 Sep
Club 54 | Launceston, TAS (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Sat 26 Sep
Uni Bar | Hobart, TAS (18+)
www.moshtix.com.au
Fri 2 Oct
ANU Bar | Canberra, ACT (18+)
www.ticketek.com.au
Sat 3 Oct
Yours & Owls Music & Arts Festival | Wollongong, NSW (18+)
www.yoursandowls.com.au
* Winterbourne not appearing
Thu 8 Oct
HQ | Adelaide, SA (18+)
www.oztix.com.au | www.moshtix.com.au
Fri 9 Oct
The Forum | Melbourne VIC (18+)
www.ticketmaster.com.au
Sat 10 Oct
Westernport Hotel | San Remo, VIC (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Sun 11 Oct
Lorne Hotel – Beer Garden | Lorne, VIC (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Fri 16 Oct
Tanks Art Centre | Cairns, QLD (18+)
www.ticketlink.com.au
* Saskwatch and Winterbourne not appearing
Fri 23 Oct
Max Watt’s | Brisbane, QLD (18+)
www.oztix.com.au | www.maxwatts.com.au
Sat 24 Oct
Coolangatta Hotel | Coolangatta, QLD (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Thu 29 Oct
Panthers | Port Macquarie, NSW (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Fri 30 Oct
Entrance Leagues Club | Central Coast, NSW (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
* Saskwatch not appearing
Sat 31 Oct
Enmore Theatre | Sydney, NSW (All Ages)
www.ticketek.com.au
Fri 6 Nov
Bar on the Hill | Newcastle, NSW (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Sat 7 Nov
C.ex Club | Coffs Harbour, NSW (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
Fri 13 Nov
Discovery Nightclub | Darwin, NT (18+)
www.oztix.com.au
* Saskwatch and Winterbourne not appearing
