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.