South African four-piece Ruff Maijk will return to Europe for a fest-anchored run of mostly German dates starting Oct. 1. Their new album, Moth Eater, is out three days later through the booking agency Sound of Liberation‘s label wing, SOL Records. That Aschaffenburg show is sure to be a party, though I suppose you could say that for the rest as well. At the end of last week, the band put up the new single “Wasted Youth” showing off some of the more complex melody and emotionalism present throughout the album while reassuring that the hooks, the groove and the fun are maintained. I’m not surprised that I dig the record, but it’s a different animal than the genre-crossing mania of last year’s Elektrik Ram (review here), which seemed to thrive balanced on a tightrope of craft. Moth Eater digs a little deeper into each song, pushing forward in terms of style without wanting to convey the same kind of urgency, panic, call it what you will.

I was lucky to see Ruff Majik play live for Elektrik Ram. I don’t think an invite to Desertfest Belgium or any of the other fests listed below is coming, so I’ll likely not catch them on this run, but I do await the day they announce a US incursion. In years past, I’d have speculated Psycho Las Vegas to host such a thing, and certainly Planet Desert Rock Weekend in the same city (at a much different scale) has its ethic of importing quality bands as well, but if it were to happen at Desertfest New York next year, I most certainly wouldn’t complain about that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, which, yes, will make it harder to type.

As regards Moth Eater, mark your calendar for Oct. 3 as I’ll be streaming the record in full with a review a day ahead of its proper release. Get stoked. I am.

Tour dates follow, as posted by Sound of Liberation on the old social medias:

Europe, your boys are coming back ❤️

This October, @soundofliberation and @soundofliberationrecords presents @ruffmajik 7th European tour, which will include sets at @desertfest_belgium @up_in_smoke_festival @keep_it_low_festival , Lazy Bones festival and many more!

In support of the new album “Moth Eater”, the boys will also be joining @gnomeverse and @templefang on the road for select dates.

More dates are also being actively added, so if you don’t see your town on the list, get in touch.

RUFF MAJIK – Moth Eater European Tour:
01.10 Pitcher Düsseldorf DE
02.10 Schön Mainz DE
04.10 Colos Saal Aschaffenburg DE
06.10 Up in Smoke Festival Pratteln CH
07.10 Cassiopeia Berlin DE
10.10 Faust Hannover DE
11.10 Beatpol Dresden DE
12.10 Keep it Low Festival Munich DE
13.10 Werk 2 Leipzig DE
18.10 Kuba Jena DE
19.10 B58 Braunschweig DE
20.20 Desertfest Antwerp BE
21.10 Feierwerk Munich DE
22.10 Roxy Ulm DE
23.10 Arena Wien AT
24.10 Zauberberg Passau DE
25.10 Juze Hürth DE
26.10 Lazy Bones Festival Hamburg DE

Visit the SOL Records Shop here: https://shop.soundofliberation.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
https://shop.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, Moth Eater (2024)

Ruff Majik, “Wasted Youth” lyric video

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video

Behold the third single from the upcoming Ruff Majik LP, Moth Eater. “Cult Eyes” is notable both for its divergence from the band’s stare-into-the-mania-and-the-mania-stands-back methodology and the guest vocal spot from Greenleaf‘s Arvid Hällagård (also Young Acid, Sleep Moscow, Pools, etc.), but the twist is well-placed amid the many voicemails and turns throughout Moth Eater, and it’s all part of the narrative assertion being made across the record — that is, Ruff Majik taking control of their own story and how it’s presented — and so consistent in making its own kind of sense.

Indeed, a big part of that the South African four-piece are doing with Moth Eater is storytelling, and you can get a sliver of that through the quote below, but that’s just a sample for one song. The whole album has tales for context and even as they seem to advocate turning away from a social-algorith-driven content-provider ethic, they’ve got more to say to their audience than ever. I’m still getting to know the album and still doing some mental ironing on these ideas, so expect more to come as we get closer to the Oct. 4 (originally listed as Sept. 27) release. I haven’t put in a request to stream the album yet, but I should probably get on that.

While I do, here’s PR wire info and the clip for “Cult Eyes.” As always, I hope you enjoy:

South African Fuzz Rockers RUFF MAJIK Release New Video Single “Cult Eyes”, Feat. Arvid Hällagård Of GREENLEAF, Taken From Upcoming Studio Album “Moth Eater”!

October 4, 2024 will see South Africa’s megalithic Ruff Majik release their brand new studio offering, entitled Moth Eater 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 at: https://shop.soundofliberation.com

Following previously-released singles such as “What A Time To Be A Knife”, today, Ruff Majik have unleashed a video clip for the song “Cult Eyes”, featuring a guest vocal performance of GREENLEAF frontman Arvid Hällagård! Get the song, out now on all digital streaming providers, at: https://orcd.co/culteyes

“The lyrics for Cult Eyes came about when we became aware of the fact that we had inadvertently started an actual cult based around our music (Yes, the cult is VERY real. No, we won’t tell you where it is or how it started).” The band comments.

“It’s mostly about nonchalantly accepting the role as a cult figure, and then realizing the weight and impact your actions have on your followers, and specifically having to be accountable for those actions. Of course the protagonist in the song doesn’t want to accept any of his own mistakes or take control of anything, just like cult leaders usually don’t, and this selfishness results in death and ruin. It can also be interpreted as an allegory for the modern state of politics and social media influence, where cult leaders spew out nonsense with no accountability.

Arvid Hällagård of Greenleaf tracked vocal harmonies for the song back in 2021, but due to an unfortunate sabotage, the original track was lost to the ether. When Greenleaf and Ruff Majik played together in 2023, the bands got to talking, and Tommi Holappa brought up the fact that Greenleaf listens to a lot of Ruff Majik in the tour van. Arvid and Johni spoke about the sadly lost song, and the decision was made to redo it. It’s a bit of a “what the fuck?” moment for us, since we’ve idolized Greenleaf for years – and Johni even tried to hoodwink them into touring with us before anyone ever heard about us. So, a full circle moment indeed.”

Kicking the vibe back to a sepia-toned era where bell-bottoms and fuzzed-out bass were de rigueur, the ‘Majik lads take a well-known template and drench it with their unique attitude and stoner-esque sensibilities. The horned infant known as Ruff Majik emerged from the primordial ooze when the band moved from the historical town of Lydenburg in 2012 to the capital city of Pretoria, where they honed their craft for a few years before finally entering the studio to record for the first time. In 2024 and while they are currently gearing up for the October-release of their Moth Eater on Sound Of Liberation Records, Ruff Majik released a number of EP’s and three lauded albums to date, not to mention the megaton of local and international touring (watch out for new tour dates, to be announced for October 2024 soon)!

All the requisite ‘Majik trope boxes are ticked in thick, bold permanent marker – sludgy, distorted riffs, vast landscapes of sonic abandon, dark imagery that perfectly complements the delicious cacophony, and tasty sound bites that add infinite swathes of colour. This is what is expected from the band, their signature sound and one that never fails.

Album Tracklist:
01. What A Time To Be A Knife
02. Dirt And Deer Blood
03. By The Hammer
04. We’re Not Out Of The Swamp Yet
05. Battering Lamb
06. Cult Eyes
07. Baby’s First Guillotine
08. Ingozi
09. Wasted Youth
10. Moth Eater

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

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
https://shop.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video