For their ninth album, Ontario’s Born Ruffians experimented with a more intentionally synth-based indie-pop sound than their more guitar-focused original run of records dating back to 2008. Lyrically, Beauty’s Pride also seemed to venture into more literary spaces, with the project’s earliest singles delving into the realms of science fiction and Greek mythology.
For their “Neighborhoods” session, Born Ruffians frontman Luke Lalonde opted to play the power-pop album cut “To Be Seen” atop the roof of his home in Hamilton, Ontario, where, ironically, he wouldn’t be seen. “I ended up filming on my roof after another couple of locations went awry,” he shares of the solo acoustic session, “but it ended up being a really fitting visual for this song and the imagery of ‘living in my head’ and looking out the window.”
Expanding upon the meaning behind “To Be Seen,” he adds: “The song carries a strong message of resiliency through dark times. I think a lot of the time we’re sort of stumbling around existing mostly in our heads with a little light on in there, looking out and hoping to be seen by someone else.”
Check out the performance below, and catch the band on tour in the US this fall at the dates listed here.
