Ruff Majik Post Third Single “Cement Brain” From Elektrik Ram LP
I still need to dig into the new Ruff Majik album, Elektrik Ram — I’ve had the record for a bit but I’m backlogged and there’s time — but their new single “Cement Brain” emphasizes so much of what I appreciate about the band’s work to this point. There’s a solid underpinning of heavy rock, desert-ish but less fuzz-soaked than they’ve been at other times (not a complaint), and the swagger with which they commune outside genre is wonderfully brazen. Instrumentally, “Cement Brain” has a current almost of hip-hop to it, and the vocal arrangement they put over top manages to sound like an absolute toss-off, casual Friday show up and see what happens, but reveals the depth and consideration that is truly such an asset to their approach.
With tongue-in-cheek all the while and songwriting and production sharp enough to cut glass, Ruff Majik are an act with a genuinely individual point of view, in South Africa or otherwise. Yeah, you’ll hear some Queens of the Stone Age sometimes and those vocals remind me every now and again of Guns ‘n’ Roses if Axl hadn’t tragically bought into his own purported genius, but what Ruff Majik bring in terms of craft and persona is their own, and I’ll gladly put them against any of the best bands Europe has on offer in heavy rock. I very, very much hope someday to see them live.
I’ve got a lineup listed below that I’m pretty sure corresponds to the four dudes pictured above — cheers to Johni Holiday on the 1991 mullet, and I mean that unironically — but before I review the album, which I certainly will, I need to get my hands on a lyric sheet and complete list of personnel involved, who, what, where and when (the why is generally answered with “because the song wants it”). That’s a note to myself, but I’ll tell you that the more I hear of Elektrik Ram, the more I feel like I need to hear. Singles working as singles should. Fair enough.
The PR wire takes it from here:
Ruff Majik releases new single Cement Brain from upcoming album Elektrik Ram
DOWNLOAD / STREAM ‘CEMENT BRAIN’
https://orcd.co/cementbrain
https://mongrelrecords1.bandcamp.com/
Ruff Majik returns with the low-slung boogie of Cement Brain taken from the band’s forthcoming long-player Elektrik Ram out 28th April 2023 on Mongrel Records.
As with previous single Elektrik Ram (and album title track), Cement Brain was once again inspired by and written in a mental health facility. Vocalist Johni Holiday had gone in for treatment of severe agoraphobia and a crippling panic disorder, which he self-medicated with alcohol and many other substances. In the window of time that he became well and had a clear head, he penned this number as a plea to his friends and family to never let him slip back into his old ways again.
“On the surface, it’s about escaping an abusive relationship. But deep down, the relationship in question is my relationship with substances such as alcohol The song pleads with the listener to not let me go back.” Explains Johni on the message behind the track.
Current lineup:
Johni Holiday
Jimmy Glass
Cowboy Bez
Steven Bosman
http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik
http://mongrelrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/mongrelrecords
http://www.instagram.com/mongrel_records
