For all the success The Rubens achieved with their 2012 self-titled debut album - platinum sales, Best Album at triple j's J awards, five ARIA nominations - there was the sense that it was "right place, right time" for the Menangle, NSW five-piece.
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However, any doubts regarding the band's songwriting abilities are cast aside after hearing their new offering, Hoops. Boasting memorable hooks and incisive lyrics, the album displays impressive depth and diversity. To borrow a sporting idiom, it's a slam-dunk.
Vocalist Sam Margin speaks modestly about the band's early success. "We had nothing to compare it to," he says. "People said we were an overnight success or a buzz band or whatever and we were like, 'OK'. We were just learning as we were going and loving everything.
"A good example was the first time we had people come to our show after triple j played our demo, Lay it Down. It was literally just Mum and Dad coming to our shows before that. Then one day there were maybe 300 people in the room and it was the best experience of our lives."
To help kickstart the writing process for Hoops, the band relocated to Coledale on Sydney's south coast. They rented an old fibro house, fitted it out with a bunch of old furniture, threw bedding on the floor and set up a makeshift studio.
"We lived there together for five months and it was awesome," Margin says. "It was hard because it was summer, all our mates lived locally and so all we did for the first few weeks was have beers and barbecues and then do some writing on the side."
For all the distractions, the band emerged with some 40 songs that they eventually whittled down to 11 for the album. Margin says it was refreshing not having any deadlines.
"I think it's more important to write until you've got a strong album rather than put out another album as quickly as possible," he says. "Especially with a second record because people are so critical. We just kept writing and it worked because most of the better songs were written in the second half of the writing process."
Once again, the band chose to record in New York with Grammy-winning producer David Kahn (Lana Del Rey, The Strokes). However, whereas first time around the band were happy to defer to the more experienced Kahn, this time they went in with a more informed view of how they wanted things to work.
"I guess we just felt like we'd earned our place a little bit more," Margin says. "Last time we felt like we were lucky to be there. We felt like we were frauds, like, 'Don't let them know we're just this band from Menangle, act like you belong here!'."
The resulting album, Hoops (the title reflects the 'hoops' bands have to jump through to get a record made), is brimming with clever choruses, infectious melodies and taut rhythms. From the visceral stomp of the first single, Hallelujah, to the ultra-slick title track, to the soulful Switchblade, Hoops shows The Rubens are genuinely talented songwriters and their early success was no accident.
"The songs are more complex," Margin says. "I mean, they're not crazy complex - we're not Tame Impala - but we've written, in my opinion, more interesting parts with good middle eights and bridges. The rhythms are also something we worked hard on. I just feel like overall, the tones, writing and lyrics are more mature.
"The progression I think is a natural one. It still sounds like us, just a newer version."
The Rubens
When: October 2, 8pm.
Where: ANU Bar, Acton.
Tickets: $47 + BF available from premier.ticketek.com.au
