* En anglais uniquement
Reuben and the Dark are a Canadian indie folk group based around the emotive, introspective songs of singer, songwriter, and bandleader
Reuben Bullock. The Calgary band came together behind
Bullock for a series of solo albums in the early 2010s before making their first full-band effort with 2014's
Funeral Sky. Their soaring folk-rock sound continued to expand over subsequent releases including on 2019's thoughtful
Un|Love.
The band was formed after the release of
Bullock's first solo album, Pulling Up Arrows, in 2010.
Bullock was already performing with his brother Distance Bullock (percussion, cello), and was searching for like-minded musicians to help interpret his intense, brooding folk songs on-stage. They were joined by multi-instrumentalist
Shea Alain and bassist
Scott Munro and began performing together under the name
Reuben and the Dark. With this new ensemble,
Bullock recorded 2012's Man Made Lakes, which boasted a fuller sound thanks to the added group harmonies of his bandmates. Although it was billed as
Bullock's second solo album, it was recorded as a band and they hit the road together touring Western Canada. Following a trip to Mexico, where
Bullock performed a handful of solo shows, he caught the attention of Mairead Nash, owner of London's Luv Luv Luv Records (
Florence + the Machine,
Blood Orange). A trip to England followed, and
Bullock recorded several demos with producer and
Florence + the Machine drummer Christopher Hayden. As the project took hold, it blossomed into
Funeral Sky, the first proper album under the banner
Reuben and the Dark, released in May 2014 by iconic Canadian label Arts & Crafts. Amid heavy touring, the band recorded a stand-alone single, "Heart in Two," which topped CBC Radio 2's Top 20 chart in February 2016.
Reuben and the Dark's full-length follow-up,
Arms of a Dream, appeared in the spring of 2018. A year later, the band returned with the spacious and expansive
Un|Love, which they co-produced with
Kevin Drew (
Broken Social Scene) and
Marcus Paquin (
the National). ~ Timothy Monger