History
2000s: Formation and debut records
The band formed in 2002 when cousins Lalonde and DeRosier met drummer Steve Hamelin at Midland Secondary School . Originally formed under the name Mornington Drive, they self-released an album called Makeshift Metric Catastrophe. In an interview, DeRosier described it as entirely homemade, "It was burned onto CD in Steve's basement, the packaging was sewn by Steve's mom and I think Luke painted the covers."[2][3]
After renaming themselves Born Ruffians, the band moved from Midland to Toronto in 2004.[2] After some local performances and a growing online reputation, the band was signed to the UK electronic music label Warp Records. They released their self-titled debut EP in 2006. It was recorded by Ryan Mills at Little King Studio (now Sleepytown Sound). They received extensive airplay on CBC Radio 3 with their debut single, "This Sentence Will Ruin/Save Your Life," as well as a cover of Grizzly Bear's single "Knife" which the band recorded live on KEXP.
In 2007, they released the single "Hummingbird," which was included on their first album Red, Yellow & Blue.[4] Born Ruffians' Red, Yellow & Blue was nominated in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Pop/Rock Album of the year.
In 2009, they recorded a cover of two Aphex Twin songs for Warp20 (Recreated), a compilation.
They appeared in an episode of the second season of British teen drama Skins, playing their song "Hummingbird" in a night club.[5] The song is also featured in a television advert in the UK for Orange mobile telecommunications' "Animal" campaign. "Hummingbird" is also featured in a car advertisement in Australia. The band was featured in episode seven of the comedic web series, Nirvana the Band the Show, playing as themselves as they rehearse with a new member of the band. On July 31, 2009, the Born Ruffians played for Nirvana the Band at The Rivoli for the wrap of their web-series. Footage of this show will be included in episode ten.[6]
First tours
They toured with Franz Ferdinand, Caribou, Peter Bjorn and John, Hot Chip, The Hidden Cameras, Tokyo Police Club (with whom they have also performed songs on stage) and The Honorary Title.[7] They toured Canada (mostly Ontario) throughout April 2008, completing the North American leg of their tour on April 26, 2008, with an album release party at Lee's Palace in Toronto. In May and June 2008, they finished their UK tour and continued touring throughout Europe.[8]
They toured Australia in January and February 2009 as part of St Jerome's Laneway Festival along with Girl Talk, Stereolab, Architecture In Helsinki, The Hold Steady, The Drones, Cut Off Your Hands, Four Tet, Tame Impala, El Guincho, Jay Reatard, Buraka Som Sistema Dj/Mc Set, The Temper Trap, No Age and more.
Say It and Birthmarks (2010-2014)
The band's second album, entitled Say It, was released June 1, 2010. The album was recorded at Metalworks Studios in Toronto and mastered at Rusty Santos' studio in Brooklyn. The first single from it was "What To Say" followed by "Nova Leigh" and "Oh Man".[9]
In April 2011, their single "Little Garçon" appeared in an American Express commercial, Real Tweets, which included edited versions of tweets from @activecultures and others.
The band's 2013 album, Birthmarks, was released on April 16 via Paper Bag Records. The band spent roughly three years writing all over the world including several months spent living together in an old farmhouse in rural Ontario.[10] The album was recorded at BoomBox Sound with producer/engineer Roger Leavens and engineer Marcel Ramagnano. Following the record, drummer Hamelin took leave of the band to pursue a degree in history and international relations.[11] Drummer Adam Hindle officially joined the band during the second tour to support Birthmarks. At the 2014 Juno Awards, the band was nominated for Breakthrough Group of the Year.[12]
Lalonde revealed in an interview with Revue Magazine that he has been working on an acoustic Born Ruffians EP since the summer after Birthmarks was released. This acoustic EP was released on the band's website, available for free download. A total of nine tracks were released.[13]
RUFF and Uncle, Duke & The Chief (2015-2019)
On October 2, 2015, the band released their fourth studio album, RUFF. The band fluctuated between a trio and quartet in the following year, with drummer Hamelin rejoining the band and guitarist Andy Lloyd later leaving, following the birth of his daughter.[11]
Lalonde had an acting role in the 2017 film Sundowners.[14]
Born Ruffians released their fifth studio album Uncle, Duke & The Chief in February 2018. The album was the final record produced by acclaimed musician Richard Swift.[11]
In 2018, the band hosted their first ever show for Shondi Festoon. In an interview, DeRosier explained, "Shondi Festoon is the biggest inside joke that we share with our fans. [...] It didn’t feel like us to do a branded holiday kind of thing, so we made up our own holiday."[3]
JUICE, SQUEEZE and PULP (2020-present)
On April 3, 2020, the band released the album JUICE. The album was released on the band's own record label, Wavy Haze Records. The label shares its name with the single "Wavy Haze" off the album JUICE.[15] Its companion SQUEEZE was released later that year on October 2, 2020. On April 16, 2021, the last album of the trilogy was released, PULP.[16][17] The trilogy of albums was produced by Graham Walsh from band Holy Fuck.[18]
In 2020, the band introduced a fourth member to the group, Maddy Wilde, formerly of the band Moon King, on vocals and keyboards. In an interview, Lalonde says "It feels like Maddy was always meant to be. We've been writing a lot of music together. It's been really great to have her in that process. She has an effortless way of fitting in and playing along. And I love singing with her too."[18]
In 2022, the band released singles "Chrysanthemums" and "Don't Fight The Feeling".[19] In 2023, drummer Steve Hamelin acted in the film BlackBerry.[20]
