REUBEN AND THE DARK SHARES NEW VIDEO “YES” AHEAD OF TOUR DATES
‘YES OUI STILL TOUR’ COMES TO ONTARIO IN MARCH
Reuben and the Dark follows their fourth studio album In Lieu Of Light with a live studio version of the standout single “YES”, the sanguine single born during a desire to put something positive into the world during the height of the pandemic. The affirmative vibe of the song floats on a bed of spacious melody, matching the emotional heights of Reuben’s folk-rock epics but balanced by alt-pop sensibilities and triumphant call-and-response vocals. On the live version of the song, frontman Reuben Bullock reflects, “’YES’ is one of the band’s favourite songs to play live, so we decided to track a live off the floor version of it to capture some of that energy we give it during our show. Songs always take on a new life once you start performing them in front of an audience”.
Next month, Reuben and the Dark head out on the road for the ‘Yes Oui Still Tour’, beginning March 22, 2023. Full tour dates can be found below while tickets are available to purchase here.
More About In Lieu Of Light
Reuben and the Dark’s new LP, In Lieu Of Light, is officially available everywhere courtesy of Arts & Crafts. This collection of songs is as bare and unguarded as any that singer-songwriter Reuben Bullock has offered before. “This album had no expectations put on it, it felt very free of form in a creative way. It is a snapshot of songs I was writing at a particular time, when recording them felt like a necessary letting go,” recounts Reuben. “There was a magic to that experimentation that felt natural to me.”
Recalling the spontaneity of the band’s 2014 debut Funeral Sky, the eleven new songs of In Lieu Of Light are humble and vast, wide open and lonesome, flourishing from the simplicity of gentle piano and guitar – at times favouring the delicate frame of its intimacy, at others conceding to the anthems in its melodies. It is honest heart-based music, what Reuben and the Dark does best – hymnal and cathartic songs that beg the audience’s connection.
In Lieu Of Light was recorded throughout 2021 when the world seemed at an excruciating standstill. Reuben’s pensive lyrics, always known for their environmental resonance, turn more inward on these songs from that period. There is an element of deeply relatable soul-searching at play – perseverance through darkness, grief, escapism, and a subtle celebration of this despair that we have all confronted.
Recorded by Graham Lessard in Calgary at OCL Studios, Brock Geiger at Reuben’s studio in Joshua Tree, and Joel Shearer in Los Angeles, In Lieu Of Light finds Reuben in harmony with the studio as his instrument, and the intuitive embellishments of his collaborators. The cumulative, exultant power of his songs, be it shared joy or shared sadness, is perhaps no better reflected than on the three tracks featuring the Kainai-Bloodtribe Bullhorn Singers, a collaboration that Reuben describes as “incredible and heart-expanding.” The reverberant “Timelapse Clouds” pulsates with their rhythmic and vocal accompaniment, elevating the experience of In Lieu of Light to a new level. Reuben shares about the arrival of this record:
“In Lieu of Light has come from a strange and unstable time in life. There are those of us who spend time in the darkness to find the light.. to carry that light.. For everyone. This album is a humble offering of that experience. I believe in the alchemy of emotions and that we can use pain, anxiety, fear and loss to truly feel peace, joy, love and freedom. It is my own way of processing a lot of things happening in the inner and outer spaces of the heart and soul of everything.“
More About Reuben And The Dark
Reuben and the Dark is the enrapturing alt folk-rock outfit led by singer-songwriter Reuben Bullock, whose music blends introspective lyrics with soaring instrumentals. Reuben and the Dark’s music has been featured in Breaking Bad, Dolittle, The Class, Grey’s Anatomy, and many more. The talented Calgary-born Joshua Tree-based singer-songwriter, skateboarder, carpenter, and preacher’s son has released three full lengths on Arts & Crafts, and toured with Boy & Bear and Vance Joy.
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: REUBEN AND THE DARK – IN LIEU OF LIGHT
Tour Dates
3/2/2023 Cambridge, ON Farm League Brewing
3/3/2023 Kingston, ON BLU Martini
3/4/2023 Stittsville, ON Rainmaker Brewhouse
3/5/2023 Burnstown, ON Neat Coffee Shop 3/22/2023 Quebec City, QC L’Anti Bar & Spectacles
3/23/2023 Montreal, QC Bar le Ritz PDB
3/24/2023 Ottawa, ON National Arts Centre
3/25/2023 Toronto, ON The Great Hall
3/26/2023 Hamilton, ON Mills Hardware
3/30/2023 Winnipeg, MB The Park Theatre
4/1/2023 Regina, SK The Exchange
4/2/2023 Saskatoon, SK Broadway Theatre
4/5/2023 Sherwood Park, AB Festival Place
4/6/2023 Red Deer, AB Bo’s Bar and Stage
4/7/2023 Canmore, AB Communitea Café
4/8/2023 Calgary, AB Bella Concert Hall
4/9/2023 Kelowna, BC Red Bird Brewing
4/12/2023 Victoria, BC Capital Ballroom
4/13/2023 Vancouver, BC Hollywood Theatre
Tickets Available HERE
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