NEVER MIND THE BALROG, HERE’S POISON RUÏN

On a dreary November evening, Poison Ruïn’s Mac Kennedy, Will McAndrew, and Allen Chapman (sans member Nao Demand, sick with COVID) are sitting comfortably in the ass grooves of musty, sinking chairs, listening to trains pass by in their West Philadelphia jam space. I make my way through the clutter on the floor just before McAndrew rudely thrusts in my direction a Smirnoff Ice, disguised in a crumpled paper bag. (Surely you are familiar with the term “being Iced”?) They all crack a beer while I awkwardly fiddle with the field recorder. Labeled by Chapman as “jeans and T-shirt guys,” the three bandmates are a bit goofy. Their collective aesthetic screams “friendly, stoop-smoking neighbor,” or “off-duty mailman.”

Poison Rui'n have established themselves as one of the more exciting bands in modern punk in the nearly three years they’ve been together. They’ve developed a signature style that will continuously roll around in your brain: haunting piano intros, Wipers-influenced guitar riffs, and medieval artwork that feels definitively their own. Initially, Poison Rui'n were a recording project of Kennedy’s with no real intention of becoming a full band due to personal time constraints. But when March 2020 hit, everyone had nothing but time. The concepts, themes, and imagery were developing to the point where Kennedy thought it was time to finally explore their live potential, and McAndrew signed up as bass player without hesitation.