In the early 2000’s, Rufio were one of the bands that were primed to break-out big. They were all over the scene blogosphere, mentioned along with groups like Yellowcard and Something Corporate, with their brand of emotional, youthful pop-punk. I was certainly blasting tracks like “Above Me” and “Over It” from my dorm room.
Yet, the band lost two of its three original members, leading to an initial break-up. There would be further sporadic shows and line-up changes, with an initial comeback in 2008. The band kept going until 2010’s Anybody Out There, and then seemed to call it a day.
Sixteen years have past, and three trio of Scott Sellers (vocals/guitar), Clark Domae (guitar/vocals), and Taylor Albaugh (bass/vocals) have returned with a new song, “Maps”, from a forthcoming EP, From the Outside. And listening to it, it sounds like a band feeling realigned.
The melodies are as strong as ever, and the energetic riffs have an urgency to them that pull you in. There’s a bit of nostalgia (lyrics like “You’ve taken me back to around twenty years” may cause you to do some mental time traveling), but the track is really a statement of survival (“Now our fame and our fortune’s are all gone. We’re still here”).
The band has said that this new batch of songs were written on their own terms, and about “Maps” specifically:
“The song is about a rekindled connection after 20 years of silence. We’ve grown a lot as musicians and humans, and I think the EP shows that through more confident playing, attention to detail, and realistic lyrics.”
Welcome back Rufio. Personally, I’m very happy you’re still here. From the Outside comes out August 7th on Double Helix Records. Listen to “Maps” here.
The Indy Review 