The Rubens have released their sixth studio album, Group Therapy, returning to a guitar-driven approach that bassist William Zeglis described as almost full circle, according to Australian Musician. The album was recorded in a converted World War II communications bunker that serves as the band’s recording studio and rehearsal space, and guitar features as the defining instrument throughout, replacing the synthesizer textures of 2024 predecessor SODA.
Australian Musician reports that the album opener Love Me America builds a wall of guitars around dynamic arrangements incorporating acoustic passages, while the fifth single The Cannonball uses emotive acoustic guitar as its anchor. The band, formed in 2011 in Menangle, New South Wales, has accumulated over 350 million streams and 250,000 physical album sales across a catalog that includes five ARIA Top 5 albums and multiple Gold and Platinum certifications.
The band is supporting the release with a 24-date national tour spanning regional, suburban and capital city venues through February, with alt-rock openers SELVE joining Part 1 dates except Western Australia. Free all-ages launch parties featuring acoustic sets and meet-and-greets are scheduled at the Punters Club in Fitzroy and Young Henry’s in Newtown.
For more information, visit australianmusician.com.au.
