Postpunk heroes THE JACK RUBIES return to continue their 21st Century resurgence with a new two-track single, teasing both a new album due next year and the band's key role in an upcoming Big Stir Records Halloween event. “Are We Being Recorded?” backed with a new “Chilling, Thrilling Remix” of their recent hit “Phantom” see joint release on September 19, and are up for pre-order and pre-save now:

https://orcd.co/jackrubies-awbr

It's been amazing to watch and hear THE JACK RUBIES, known for their noir-tinged postpunk '80s/'90s albums on TVT Records, return in the 2020s with their original sound intact and more relevant than ever. Now they once again break cover with this missive from a brave new world. As singer, guitarist and co-writer Ian Wright avows: “No, it’s not a play on ‘Is it rolling, Bob?’ or studio silliness (tho’ we love a double meaning) - rather, it’s an elegant Orwellian boogie, err... dancing to the tune of an unhinged world that’s slipping off its moorings!” “Are We Being Recorded?” is the first official single from the Rubies’ upcoming and fourth full length album, and continues the startling renaissance that began with the release of 2024’s excellent return to form CLOCKS ARE OUT OF TIME on Big Stir Records (who are soon to announce a very special roster showcase Halloween release also featuring the band, previewed on the B-side here).

Fellow guitarist SD Ineson penned the insistent Bond-like riffs that backbone the verse and chorus of our A-side “Are We Being Recorded?” before dovetailing seamlessly into Wright’s jaunty middle eight. The whole affair is daubed with curlicues of spy movie guitar while the syncopated bass tones of Steve Brockway firmly hold court. The three guitars stride along in thrall to the mesmeric undertow of Lawrence Giltnane and Peter Maxted’s percussive march while ominous cold war textures filter in and out from Maxted’s keys and guest pianist Doc Durston. The wry paranoia of Wright’s lyrics weave a tale of surveillance, loss of privacy and dystopian foreboding: “I left a lot of mess with my footsteps... now I’m on sale” he opines ruefully even as such ruminations are misleadingly sweetened by the dulcet backing vocals of cover star Annabel Wright. It's all emblematic of the way THE JACK RUBIES' sound and lyrical approach is, if anything, more relevant today than during their celebrated original run.

As a virtual “b-side”, The Rubies deliver a brand new take on their previous single “Phantom". This special remix is also destined to haunt the grooves of Chilling, Thrilling Hooks And Haunted Harmonies: The Big Stir Records Halloween Grimoire - a beautifully designed and compiled collection of Halloween-themed tracks from the BSR roster, which lovingly evokes the vintage platters of yesteryear and is scheduled for release October 10th. For this alternative version, the Rubies are delighted to re-enlist the services of violinist and honorary sixth member Emma Peters, last spotted on the band’s debut album Fascinatin' Vacation and onstage with the band during the early UK tours. As her perfect foil, Brooklyn's rising jazz star Ayumi Ishito seasons the cauldron with her hypnotic saxophone asides.

Halloween brings the next appearance of THE JACK RUBIES, and early 2026 will welcome second album in the Phase 2 of the band's journey. Brace yourself for both impacts.