By: Shelby Lum
Driving on long tours can be difficult, but maybe a little easier for Mitch of Born Ruffians considering he doesn’t have a drivers license.
“I don’t drive, so I am the dork on tour that doesn’t ever drive,” Mitch said in an interview with Atlanta Music Guide. So the one thing he doesn’t leave home without: his passport.
The Toronto based band has been together since they were teenagers, and for Mitch and lead singer, Luke, even longer. The two are cousins and have been hanging out well before the idea of a band even got started.
“Having grown up with Luke and having been best friends since we were babies, I wouldn’t know what it’s like for a lot of other bands,” he said. “We are pretty lucky to be in a band together and get along.”
Born Ruffians is coming off a new album release as well. “Birthmarks” was released on April 16. Nothing about the band is subtle. The album opens with infectious pop melodies which will get stuck in your head for days.
“Our music sounds completely poppy …but the lyrics can be sadder,” Mitch said, and explained the band walks the thin line between sounding totally joyful yet also balancing melancholy lyrics.
The newest album has a more cohesive feel than some of its previous works, and Mitch attributed that to the bands growth. When the band was first signed, most of the members were under the age of 20, but now Born Ruffians has taken that time to mature and really find its footing within the music industry.
“We were 19/ 20 years-old and all of a sudden we found ourselves with 2 record deals with really established labels,” Mitch said. “It was something growing up in high school we always dreamed of…and then it happened.”
Rapidly, the band found themselves in the spotlight, and at pretty young ages.
“I think we handled it pretty well for teenagers…there is a lot of pressure on young bands,” he said.
With this latest release, the group also took more time to produce the content of “Birthmarks.” “In the past we would record in a matter of a couple weeks,” Mitch said. “This time we were able to take as much time as we wanted or needed.”
The time they took shows as well. The album is not only catchy, but a persistent pop that won’t let you go.
Born Ruffians are scheduled to play at The EARL on Wednesday, April 24th.
