Episode 117: Sam & Elliott Margin – The Rubens

It's a little difficult to think about the Australian music scene of the past 15 years without thinking of The Rubens.

Hailing from Menangle in New South Wales, the largely familial band (three of its five members are brothers, you see), first came to prominence in 2011 when they found themselves scoring quite a bit of airplay over on triple j.

Barely a year old, they'd made it into the station's Hottest 100 countdown, been nominated for an ARIA Award, and even released a debut album. Not too shabby.

2015's 'Hoops' changed it all for the group, with the title track taking out that year's countdown, and propelling The Rubens to further stardom.

Consistently good singles, strong records (all of which have peaked within the Australian top 4, with 2021's '0202' even hitting the top spot), and a constant presence on the live scene have turned The Rubens into one of those bands you can always rely on. (A 'trusty' band, as it were…)

This month, The Rubens are back at it again with their latest effort, 'Group Therapy'. Their sixth album, it's a solid piece of work which – at times – feels like a return to their earliest years. To celebrate, they'll be heading out on the road once more, taking their impressive new LP to the masses.

I had a chance to chat to Sam and Elliott Margin from The Rubens a few years back, but I didn't have a podcast at the time. Now I do, so I figured it was high time we reconnected for a chat about the new record, their enduring success, and how it all came to be.

Anyway, have a listen to The Rubens' 'Group Therapy' when it arrives next week, buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.