Born Ruffians

Toronto, ON's Born Ruffians made some pretty big waves with their debut full-length, Red, Yellow & Blue; its charming mix of spastic guitars and gang vocals winning over listeners both at home and down South. After a tumultuous three years, the band have re-emerged with follow up Say It, a more confident and refined approach to the sounds explored on their debut. Rolling bass grooves spar with minimalist guitar lines on ten tracks that, like opener "Retard Canard," frequently shift gears to break free from verse, chorus, verse structures. But the standout is front-man Luke LaLonde's newfound confidence in his voice; gone are the group shouting matches, replaced by a soulful, dynamic croon that mixes David Byrne with Marvin Gaye. It's a great fit for LaLonde and the band, sounding loose and relaxed, leaving tracks like mid-tempo rocker "Sole Brother" and "Come Back" lots of space to swing, giving the album momentum from front to back.