A Year-Old Album Finally Released in the U.S.

The Rubens haven’t been around for very long—they officially formed sometime in 2011—but they’ve known each other their whole lives, literally. Members Sam Margin (vocals/guitar), Elliott Margin (keys), and Zaac Margin (guitar) are brothers, and drummer Scott Baldwin has been a longtime friend of the family. Their self-titled debut album sent Australians in a happy frenzy and the popularity of the band has grown since the release of The Rubens.

It isn’t fair to say this is a new album. It was originally released last year and has since been re-released with bonus songs and live versions. The Rubens has been out so long that five of the eleven songs on the original album have music videos already, but it’s only recently been released in the U.S. And by now, especially if you’re from their homeland of Australia, you’ve heard the catchy debut single “My Gun,” and single “Lay It Down,” which sounds like it took notes from a few Black Keys albums.

The right mixture of rock, blues, soul and Sam’s soothing vocals is what has made the album such a success. And the piano is a major part of the album. Songs like “Never Be The Same” intertwine piano and electric guitar to form a melancholy mood.

Lyrically, there isn’t much to fawn over. Opener “The Best We Got” couldn’t be more to the point: “Girls like me if they’re younger / But girls my age want guys older.” And “Elvis,” while the guitar is a high point on the album, is just as simple lyrically: “Truth be told, I want to grow old with you, with you.” There is, however, an argument to be made that the simplicity of the lyrics makes it that much more relatable.

So is it worth re-releasing a year after its original release date to America, even after they already released a two-disc set a few months before? We suppose so, since just about anyone could enjoy The Rubens if they wanted to: moms, dads, pre-teens, twenty-somethings. It’s definitely time to see what they’ll conjure up next, though.