Australian sensations The Rubens are back in a huge way with the release of their new single, "Falling Asleep At The Wheel" – a collaboration with Chicago hip-hop star, Vic Mensa.
The band surprised fans on Sunday by premiering “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” as a live performance at Australia’s Splendour in the Grass music festival. The song was debuted alongside an epic performance by Vic Mensa via LED screen. Following the set, the track had its radio debut by Zane Lowe on Beats 1 Radio.
The Ruben’s frontman Sam Margin explains how the track came together saying "We wrote this track in LA earlier in the year and immediately fell in love with it. We wanted to make something out of the box musically and really push the song into new territory for us as a band. I’ve been a fan of Vic Mensa for a while now and think he is one of the most interesting and creative forces in hip hop right now. As luck would have it his guitarist somehow got his hands on the tune and spun it for Vic. Few days later I'm back in LA with Vic putting down his vox at his Silver Lake studio. He nailed it, and next day I was looking over the Pacific Ocean again.”
Vic Mensa adds "The Rubens are fantastic — was honoured to jump on this track. Look out for the boys coming to the US with a big wave."
As well as being a prominent figure in the Chicago music scene, Mensa – signed to Roc Nation - is also a founder of the hip-hop collective Savemoney which includes frequent collaborator Chance the Rapper. He also is the founder of the SavemoneySavelifefoundatio
2019 has seen The Rubens travel to North America for a headline tour, perform and release their MTV Unplugged Live In Melbourne album + bunker down to write and focus on new music. Previously The Rubens have toured with everyone from Group Love, Naked & Famous, Bruce Springsteen, Back Keys, Walk The Moon and claimed the coveted number one spot on triple j’s Hottest 100.
The release of “Falling Asleep At The Wheel” marks the start of an exciting new chapter for The Rubens. Watch this space!