Luke Lalonde, the acclaimed lead singer of indie-rock mainstays, Born Ruffians announces his forthcoming sophomore solo album The Perpetual Optimist will arrive November 22 via Paper Bag Records/Warp Publishing. Lalonde released the title-track single today, sharing an endearing video. watch! In his time with the Ruffians and over five full-length records, Lalonde has become known as a prolific solo writer in his own right, collaborating with a variety of artists across several genres, including Caribou. In 2012, he released his debut solo effort, Rhythymnals, which found Lalonde exploring a more electronic space, moving from his signature New Wave howl to a more echoey, crooning pure-pop sensibility. The release was met with notable acclaim, with critics drawing attention to the impressive breadth of Lalonde's creative capacity.
Pre-order The Perpetual Optimist here. Now seven years on, Lalonde gives us his newest worldview, with The Perpetual Optimist. Steeped in observational concern for the slowly progressing environmental erosion that threatens all life, Lalonde finds a lyrical voice on the largely jangly, lo-fi, Americana-infused tracks, juxtaposed against pretty instrumental moments, providing breaths of fresh air amongst the perceived chaos. Perhaps best explained by Luke himself: "I was moving back to Toronto from New York and I found myself pulling into a cemetery. I just sort of ended up there. I frequently end up in cemeteries, where I'll sit parked in my car or on a bench to jot some ideas down--lyrics, poems, drawings--surrounded by strangers in the dirt. I move a lot. When I was a kid my grandfather, Charlie, would bring me to one cemetery in particular where he used to work as a teenager. I think it made him feel young. It reminded him of a carefree time. As counter intuitive as that may seem on the surface, it actually makes a lot of sense: You're younger than pretty much anyone in there, and all of them are about as carefree as you can get. We would go and chat with the groundskeepers, drive around the plots, and he'd point out all the people he knew who were buried there. Charlie and June were my mother's parents. Their lives were marked with more death than most would be able to handle. He and June are buried there now.Videos