One of the greatest SXSW shows I ever saw was twitching, wailing Toronto combo Born Ruffians tucked into some tiny hole in the wall a few blocks from the festivals main drags. This might have been before they even released debut LP Red, Yellow & Blue, when they were still touring on their brilliantly hysteric self-titled EP. Luke Lalonde and friends were a bomb going off that night, and on the lead single from upcoming RUFF, they recapture that energy.

As far as I know, “We Made It” is not a nod to fellow Ontario native Drake’s Soulja Boy collab. The mood is just as celebratory, but this being Born Ruffians, there’s an anxious expectancy to it — a hopeful “I know we’re gonna make it” rather than a definitive “We made it” — powered by a rhythm section that feels like a machine coming to life. Low-key verses explode into a chorus that soars on the strength of a buzzing-bee guitar line and Lalonde’s signature howls. From there, things only get more intense, all the band’s nervous tension channeled into a cathartic musical freakout. It’s a great song, and you can hear it below for the first time.

RUFF tracklist:

01 “Don’t Live Up”

02 “Stupid Dream”

03 “Yawn Tears”

04 “Don’t Worry Now”

05 “When Things Get Pointless I Roll Away”

06 “& On & On & On”

07 “Fuck Feelings”

08 “(Eat Shit) We Did It”

09 “We Made It”

10 “Let Me Get It Out”

11 “Shade To Shade”

Tour dates:

Jul 17 London, ON @ Harris Park (Rock the Park)

Jul 25 Montreal, QC @ Lachine Canal (JanSport Bonfire Sessions presented by VICE)

Sep 17 Waterloo, ON @ Starlight

Sep 18 St Catharine’s, ON @ L3 Nightclub

Sep 19 Hamilton, ON @ Casbah

Sep 25 Ottawa, ON @ Ritual

Sep 26 Peterborough, ON @ The Red Dog

Oct 06 Manchester, UK @ Gullivers

Oct 07 London, UK @ 100 Club

Oct 08 Brighton, UK @ Patterns

Oct 10 Metz, FR @ Les Trinitiatres (Zikametz Festival)

Oct 11 Brussels, BE @ Botanique Witloof Bar

Oct 14 Paris, FR –@ La Cigale (MaMA Festival)

Oct 15 Dusseldorf, DE @ FFT

Oct 16 Munich, DE @ Milla

Oct 17 Berlin, DE @ Berghain Kantine

Oct 27 Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen

Oct 28 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Oct 29 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

Oct 30 Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Nightclub

Nov 02 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

Nov 03 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Nov 04 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Backroom

Nov 06 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5

Nov 07 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon

Nov 08 Houston, TX @ Studio at Warehouse Live

Nov 09 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada

Nov 10 Austin, TX @ Red 7

Nov 12 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar

Nov 14 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

Nov 15 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s

Nov 17 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Nov 18 Seattle, WA @ Barboza

Nov 19 Nanaimo, BC @ The Globe Hotel

Nov 20 Victoria, BC @ Sugar Nightclub

Nov 21 Vancouver, BC @ The Imperial Theatre

Nov 23 Nelson, BC @ Spiritbar

Nov 26 Calgary, AB @ SAIT’s Gateway

Nov 27 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room

Nov 28 Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s

Nov 29 Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre

Nov 30 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry

Dec 01 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

Dec 02 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch

RUFF is out 10/2 on Yep Roc (except in Canada, where it’s coming out on Paper Bag). Pre-order it here or bundle it with 2013’s Birthmarks.