The Rubens End North American Tour on Wednesday in Williamsburg
Three brothers—Samuel Margin (vocals and guitar), Elliott Margin (keys and vocals) and Izaac Margin (guitar)—and two friends—Scott Baldwin (drums) and William Zeglis (bass)—teamed up to form the soulful, melodic rock group the Rubens eight years ago in New South Wales, Australia. They made some noise at home thanks to several singles before putting out their self-titled debut long-player (stream it here) in 2012. “The album finds the band splitting the difference between a Baroque, piano-driven ’60s pop approach and a contemporary, bass-heavy garage rock sound,” reported AllMusic. “This lends a moody, bluesy atmosphere to catchy, passionate songs about young men on the cusp of adulthood struggling with romantic entanglements and inner doubts.” Hoops (stream it here) followed in 2015. “This album sings to the damages of love and the boozy nights that come along with it,” said the Au Review. “And if you fell in love with their debut self-titled record, then you will fall for Hoops all the same, but for gloriously different reasons.” The Rubens returned last summer with their third LP, Lo La Ru (stream it here), going in a slightly different sonic direction. The Sydney Morning Herald calls it “a percussive, beat-driven album, with the band branching out further into the R&B and soul hinted at on previous records.” The Rubens close out their North American tour in Brooklyn, at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wednesday night. New Jersey five-piece Wyland open the show.
