Grass-roots Canadian Imprint Wandering Who Recordings Unleash Easy Ruckus' Glitchy Single "Pretty Face" (New Label Profile)
Easy Ruckus (or "ESY RKS," for short) are a Canadian Acoustic/Blues/Folk band hailing from Golden, British Columbia. While, at one point in time, it consisted of 3-6 members, ESY RKS currently features founding members Landon Bushell & Matt Downie. Matt & Landon, actually, both grew up in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada and oddly enough, attended the same elementary, junior high, and high schools, but didn't really connect until after graduation upon forming Easy Ruckus in 2011. Landon Bushell & Matt Downie have collectively, recorded, produced, and self-released two EP's—entitled Winter, Part 1 and Take Me Away—through 2016-17, after a nearly 3 year-long hiatus; as far back as Summer 2012, Easy Ruckus was holed up in Golden, British Columbia recording their first proper full-length, when Matt accidentally, spilled a cup of coffee across his laptop and the nearly completed album was lost for good. Since then, Matt Downie taught himself how to play drums and ESY RKS effectively recorded and independently released over 40 original tracks on their Soundcloud page, which have collectively garnered them a staggering 50,000 plays on the platform. Easy Ruckus producer, sound engineer, and drummer Matt Downie partnered with Australian alpine ecologist, botanist, and music enthusiast Brodie Verrall at the start of 2018 to form an artist-driven grass-roots independent record label dubbed Wandering Who Recordings.
The label's inaugural release, "Pretty Face," is the latest single from Easy Ruckus, which will be featured on their proper full-length debut, TANGO, coming out on Wandering Who late April-May 2018. Wandering Who Recordings plans to release four additional albums from artists based in or around The Canadian Rockies by Summer's end. "Take the time to appreciate you; find the light and find your own truth" is the first phrase heard on "Pretty Face," which seemingly marks a stylistic shift for Easy Ruckus or at least, a more Electro/Indie/Dance-Pop-driven sound that hasn't been heard since their Electro-minded 2013 Sean Ash-assisted single, "Skys Are Blue." Although, ESY RKS' Facebook page has always described their musical output as, "a unique sound, fusing between Rock, Blues, Folk, Reggae, and Psychedelic—resulting in a style and feel yet to be truly shaped." Landon Bushell & Matt Downie readily cite The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, The Black Keys, LCD Soundsystem, and Current Swell amongst their greatest sources of inspiration and influence. However, I would personally, compare "Pretty Face" to a bit more Indie Rock/Pop-minded fare, such as short-lived The Postal Service, Owl City, Death Cab for Cutie, and even Beck's notoriously genre-eschewing output. "Pretty Face," as well as a 6-track Easy Ruckus Compilation (Special Edition) are currently available to stream or download from Wandering Who Recordings' newly-launched label site, as well as select digital streaming services.