THE JACK RUBIES - Phantom
As October rolls around again, THE JACK RUBIES waste no time in following up their first album in over 20 years with an all-new standalone single, just in time for Halloween. “Phantom” is not just the followup to the acclaimed 2024 reunion album CLOCKS ARE OUT OF TIME from the postpunk/C86 survivors, it's also their Second Annual Halloween Single for Big Stir Records, establishing a tradition we hope to see continue indefinitely! “Phantom” sees worldwide release for streaming and download on October 18 and is up for presave and pre-order now.
It was this time last year when Big Stir Records announced the surprising and welcome news that THE JACK RUBIES – the London-based band fondly recalled for their two hit college rock albums on TVT Records, FASCINATIN' VACATION (1988) and SEE THE MONEY IN MY SMILE (1990) – had reformed. What's more, the entire original lineup of Ian Wright (vocals, guitar), SD Ineson (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Steve Brockway (bass), Lawrence Giltnane (percussion) and Peter Maxted (drums) were returning in brilliant, noir-tinged new wave form with a single entitled “Poltergeist”, which, as expected ruled playlists throughout October and well beyond. The time since then has been a true renaissance for The Jack Rubies: the brand new album CLOCKS ARE OUT OF TIME bowed in February, 2024 to ecstatic reviews, and their entire back catalog finally debuted on streaming services courtesy of BSR, spotlighting the band as both a too-often-overlooked legacy act and a genuinely vital going concern, as of-the-moment as any indie band the 21st Century has offered up.
As October rolls around again, the band signals that there is more to come... and, as they did with “Poltergeist”, they encapsulate the eeriness of the eldritch season as only they can on “Phantom”. Swampy guitars twang ominously to rolling percussive chatter, while a spooky harmonica punctuates the bubbling stew, all welded to a thunderous bass-driven groove. “I, I see a phantom,” sings Wright over the propulsive beats, “How long will this house be haunted?” In classic Rubies style, the imagery hints in equal parts at a troubled relationship, cultural unease, and maybe, just maybe, something genuinely supernatural.
“I was trying to conjure up something redolent of Can perhaps, or Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, with a side dish of New Order - but of course, it doesn’t sound anything like that!” states Ian Wright, who wrote and sings the tune. Drummer and producer Peter Maxted adds, “As a rhythm guy, the beats of old school hip hop and 70’s soul are part of my palate and an influence, subliminally at least, since we’re an indie guitar band from London, after all!” Drawing on those diverse influences and blending them with their own well-established, ahead-of its-time sound, The Jack Rubies don't sound the least bit “retro” here. The music's simply too urgent. There's no question that “Phantom” will have a shelf-life long after the trick-or-treaters have gone home: it is, in fact the first single to preview the band's fourth LP, nearing completion even now. It's a sweet treat in its own right that THE JACK RUBIES have, for the second year running, delivered the indie pop world's quintessential Halloween hit. But this a band for all seasons, and there is more to come.
