Hope you werent hoping for a more mainstream artist for the first review back hahaha...
September 8th 2022
Note: Spotify has redone their widgets and I fuckin hate it, they wont fit as nicely now, and I think I may be linking to youtube in the future, but I'll create a general "wtf is happening" post soon, so for now enough about that.
Hi all. You NEED to listen to this fucking legendary band.
They are called Ruffians, or at least they are now, they were originally called The Pits, but unfortunately a slightly successful band from the 90's of the same name got pissed that this beautiful circus was going to use that name (and probably do better than their namesake) that the 90's Pits pulled the dick move and bought the trademarks. So they are Ruffians now, and are still going to outdo our butthurt friends in the 90's Pits.
So that happened, and originally I knew none of that and assumed that the pandemic forced them to quit, only months after an announcement that the 2nd EP was being recorded. Luckily the wonderful Mitch Irwin was able to respond to me over Facebook and explain, and so here we are.
Also, did I mention that they've had a new vocalist for years without me ever noticing? Yeah, somewhere in promoting their masterpiece of an EP "The Greatest Show on Earth" (I'm still holding out that the b-sides that they said were being released from that EP do come out), Boden Pobjie, who provided most (still procrastinating on buying the physical The Greatest Show on Earth EP CD, so not sure if he does all of the backing vocals too) if not all of the vocals for all 5 songs on the EP, plus the single released for the B-sides, The Smaller The Penis, The Bigger the Cock (Basically it's about how everyone knows a guy that lacks a pair and probably doesn't have much else down there, and acts like an asshole to compensate, it's a raunchy carnival banger), had presumably left the band (hopefully amicably, I'm also curious as to what he's up to now) and the charismatic Dain Watts has stepped into the role. Long story short, Boden is an incredible vocalist that fit the project perfectly up to this point, leaving big shoes to fill, and also that I am quite the dumbass
Now finally let's get to the song
The Other Side was teased with a clip of the chorus from the music video, which yes, if you are now watching it, is in a bathroom. I personally think it is a cool idea and fits the band well, weird as it is. And I was excited, Dain's vocal tone fit Ruffians just as well as Boden, even displaying some close similarities, the guitars were that heavy rock groove I've come to expect from them, and of course those delicious horns.
Then, I will be honest, when the single dropped? Wasn't sure about it. It wasn't just that it was different, it was that after so long listening to the same 8 tracks from the band (Alongside the 5 EP tracks, there's the b-side, their debut single take control, and Hot Knife, a song that they wrote, played live and posted footage of performing, and said they intended to release {though who knows now?}) I felt like it was completely different. Dain's voice was great, and the chorus was exactly what I expect from them, but the verses seemed almost silly, and it almost just seemed like a Queen ripoff, I was disappointed, and planned to release a review with a scathing C- (lowest full review grade I've ever given) as my one summer review, and leave it at that.
But then I realized that I had listened to the single nearly 120 times in the week after (about 20 times a day over six days) the single dropped. So I didnt write it. I realized that I was holding the single up to everything they had done before, which includes one of the strongest ep's I've ever heard from any band, and using it to define the band as a whole, which isnt fair. Upon a more objective listen, this is exactly what I wrote in my review binder
"R(Pits)- tOS: Initial reactive grade, C-. Reasons - too different from GSOE EP."
"Current thoughts: Mix is different, little cleaner, loses its wall of sound, both good an bad thing. Loss of BP and replacement with DW seems to mean a loss of heavier vocals, more theatric than rock opera, and perhaps more cabaret than circus, but not bad at all. Dain's voice, he's truly gifted. Queen inf were always there. Honestly good song, shows they are aiming for larger spectrum of music, heaviness in vocals and breakdowns might return in later singles. Overall Grade should not be below earlier single TC (B-), and no higher than salt (A-), looking at B or B+.
In english? It means I like the new mix in the context of this single. I would personally have preferred for the song to get heavy or spooky after the second chorus, but thats me bitching when I dont release music myself. Dain's voice is purely angelic, a blessing upon us all, they are going for a wider range, and the fact that this much time and a vocalist change didnt completely morph their sound is frankly a miracle! The guitar solo is fucking sick, the addition of the sound effects like the cackle and screwdriver noises I originally hated have grown on me, and I personally think this is a great return for them.
To finish off the review section, I'd like to grade The Other Side with a B+ and sincerely hope that they will follow it up with more music soon.
However I do have one more thing I'd like to do. I'd like to put out an open call, to at least get the band in its current lineup (although to get all members past and present who are still on good terms with Ruffians would be ideal), to do a group chat interview, which is where I do a super spaced out interview where a band/artist agrees to let me dm them random questions and answer them for anywhere between a single weekend and a month, I then post the results here. I also would like to track down Boden, and see what he's up to now
Thats all for the next hour or so, then I drop the Dopamine 3AM review,
Tyler
Find Ruffians here: https://linktr.ee/ruffiansaus
(PS. I will be reviewing their "The Greatest Show On Earth EP" give me time)
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