Born Ruffians - Hummingbird
[Warp]

Remember a time when the name Warp Records was instantly associated with high-calibre, heavyweight electronica acts like Aphex Twin, LFO, Plaid etc? Not so much anymore. Over the last few years, the label has slowly but surely embraced other genres, signing up acts like Maximo Park and Gravenhurst with great results, and now you can add Toronto trio Born Ruffians to the list of indie acts flying the new Warp flag.

This single Hummingbird, their first for their new home, precedes debut album Red, Yellow and Blue (out in May) and is bouncy, joyous indie at its best - there's no pretence, nothing pre-planned, just the sound of youngsters with far too much energy and a thirst for having fun.

Compared to those first two singles for XL, the band have come on in leaps and bounds, improving their song-writing and experimentation in a fairly short period of time. Hummingbird is a hedonistic oddball led by its Gracelands-ish bass bouncing around idiotically & machine gun percussion, thrown in with post-surf guitars and a warbling, wobbly vocal melody like Animal Collective if they ever went punk.

If the lead piece was their "commercial" moment, B-side Knife is a cover version of label mates Grizzly Bear and they have turned the original into some stripped-back and bare blend of 50's inspired vocal harmonies and 60s organ; in other words, unrecognisable and utterly wonderful. Big, big things are coming their way this year and for once, it's totally warranted.

7" Track Listing:

A. Hummingbird
B. Knife