‘SODA’ by The Rubens: Worth the wait?

The Rubens have recently released their fifth studio album, SODA, marking their first since COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021.

According to the lead singer Sam Margin, the band used their time in lockdown and the past couple of years to take a step back and have a real think about their musical direction. “We’d missed everything, we had realized how much we love what we do” he told Apple Music. “I don’t think we had something specific to say or a concept, but as we started recording it, we started to realize what we were going for”.

Each track on the album is driven lyrically rather than musically, which both provides and takes away its strength. The two reoccurring themes are growing older which are present in Pets and Dogs and Sunday Night, as well as the struggles of relationships explored in the likes of Cornerstone and the album’s title track.

One track that shies away from this is the opening track Death is a Friend which explores the inevitability of death and how one tries to live through this notion. The track also works as a strong opening with hard hitting vocals, intense piano and the distinctive Rubens sound.

While the sound that has made Rubens the popular band that they are is present on the album, there is not a whole lot of exploration beyond production decisions. Most of the tracks follow the same formula, utilizing a mixture of piano and keys and that rap-style singing present in the verses.

There were some fresh musical decisions on tracks like Good Mood, a lively track that incorporates a punchy bassline and vocals, accompanied by a light guitar riff underneath.

The overall standout track of the album was Liquid Gold, adapting a simple, alt-rock style with guitar, bass and drums. The track is by far the most suitable for a live show, upbeat, with a catchy beat and lyrics. Another similar track is the final track of the record Roll Away where it strangely begins with pure vocals and the instruments slowly fade in. However, unlike Liquid Gold, it isn’t as catchy and does eventually feel like most other songs on the album.

Overall, this is an album that utilizes a style that works and can easily be fallen back on for the Rubens, but it is nothing more than that. For a band that is as talented and accomplished as the Rubens, there is a feeling that there should be a greater amount of substance in their records. While there are some shining lights in the tracklist, there isn’t too much that keeps it from being bland.

★★½

SODA is out now.