Ruff Majik Post “What a Time to Be a Knife”; New Album Moth Eater Due Sept. 27
Today, Ruff Majik begin the process of following up 2023’s Elektrik Ram (review here), and the first single is “What a Time to Be a Knife,” which the band teased last month ahead of starting their European tour.
As that tour wraps up pretty much right this second, clearly it’s time to move on to the next thing, and that’s the album process. I think there are a few months to go on that, but at very least today is the preliminary steps moving forward from what was hands-down the band’s best effort to-date, following the charge and divergences-of-arrangement of 2020’s The Devil’s Cattle (review here) with tighter songwriting, smart-ass lyrics and a performance that was soaked in attitude not at the expense of the sincerity with which it was also telling you to get fucked.
Speaking of that sentiment, it is expressed verbatim at the open-up-to-the-nod culmination of “What a Time to Be a Knife,” which as I understand it will lead off the new album in a line of succession for adrenaline-fueled starters. At the start of the track, you’ll hear Reegan du Buisson (Facing the Gallows, Evergloom) talking about how Ruff Majik will never play in this town again, etc., and if the song is the band’s response, they seem entirely cool with that.
Fair enough as they set broader sights on the whole. They’ll be back in Europe this Fall for Desertfest Belgium (god damn I wanna go) and more besides. Dates TBA, but there are shows announced already. So far as I know, nothing is bringing them to the US this year, but fair enough for visa costs, and maybe they’ll get there in 2025. The album will be out on Sound of Liberation Records, which also happens to be the label wing of their Euro booking agency, further speaking to their overarching priorities.
More to come. For today, this from the PR wire [EDIT 06/07: An actual press release came after this post went up. I’ve updated with the text of that below; the difference is there’s more about the album. Thanks.]:
South African Fuzz Juggernaut RUFF MAJIK Announces New Studio Album “Moth Eater” On Sound Of Liberation Records; First Single (Feat. Reegan du Buisson of Facing The Gallows) Out Now!
Streaming: https://orcd.co/xqy6d0b
Following their latest, much acclaimed 2023-album ‘Elektrik Ram’, South Africa’s megalithic Ruff Majik has announced the release of a new studio offering! Moth Eater will be released on September 27, 2024 via SOL Records, the label imprint run by Sound Of Liberation (Desertfest Berlin, Keep It Low, Up In Smoke etc. and booking agency for numerous, high-class artists of the stoner, psych, rock and doom metal / sludge scene). Visit the SOL Records Shop here: https://shop.soundofliberation.com
A first album single taken off Ruff Majik’s upcoming banger, “What A Time To Be A Knife” feat. Reegan du Buisson of Facing The Gallows, is now streaming on all digital providers at: https://orcd.co/xqy6d0b
From a lyrical perspective, the first single release deals with the anger and frustration towards the status quo. It can be read as an allegory of governmental resistance and frustration with peers accepting the status quo, however, according to Ruff Majik it is more specifically aimed at the con-men and grifters in the local South African scene. As the band tells us:
“Right out the gate, we need to get some stuff off our chest. So, this song goes out to our local music industry promoters/suits/businessmen/naysayers that think they rule the world and shit gold. This is us drawing the line in the sand and throwing down the gauntlet – run up, we’re ready.
The scene is amazing, the bands are trying their best to make something good happen, and these greedy goblins are actively trying to destroy what we’re building.
So you think you’re the music biz messiah? Get f#@cked!”
Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)
http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik
