BORN RUFFIANS

BY WILLIAM KOSH

The secret behind Born Ruffians’ skittering drums and starry-eyed twang is that, despite sounding like mania incarnate, Ruffians have perfect control over their spaziness. And they employ it with surgical precision. Take “We Made It,” a standout track from their new album. It’s rooted in Ruffians’ signature sound that’s kind of like a steampunk banjo bot falling down the stairs and landing on its feet, yet it’s also an epic masterclass in building and releasing tension. This affable interplay between spontaneity and control is setting the band down in history amongst the greatest things to ever come out of Toronto, Drake and Scott Pilgrim included.

WITH YOUNG RIVAL
8 PM LISTEN
$15 TICKETS

PERFECT PUSSY

When Chicago INNERVIEW asks Perfect Pussy guitarist Ray McAndrew what bands from the group’s hometown of Syracuse, New York, we should be listening to, he sends links of Random Blaster, Popular Music and The Nudes. The last of these count his brother/cartoonist Phil McAndrew among its members, who has also done work for Mad Magazine. Yet of all the Syracuse bands, the most well known is the band of which Ray McAndrew is a member: Perfect Pussy.