(Luftmensch Records) While many small-town expats strive to disguise any shred of a bumpkin identity, this poppy country rock trio seems to fully lean into its Southern roots—its name is Rube, after all. Prior to relocating to New York, bassist Jeff Gees, guitarist Daniel Gold and drummer Marshall Yarbrough (a former Flagpole contributor) were active in the Athens music scene, performing in multiple bands over the years, such as Nero and the Burning Violins, Stegosaurus and Big Hug, Little Kiss. As with 2019’s debut, Clean, Masculine & Confident, the band boomeranged back to town to record its sophomore album at The Glow Recording Studio. As the title suggests, When We Wake Up It’s Gonna Hurt reflects a perseverance through hopelessness, reinforced by tracks such as “I Didn’t Know Any Better Blues” and “I’ve Got Big Dreams (and a Big Mouth)” about the pressures of aging while still searching for the opportunities promised by a large city. They may not know quite yet where they’re headed, but they know where they came from—there’s even a shoutout to the Billups crew on the record.
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