Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors Detail Self-Titled Debut, Share Liberatory "Dog Bone"

The Vancouver musician has teamed up with Khari Wendell McClelland, Holly Eccleston, Gord Grdina, Chin Injeti and more

Photo: Kristine Cofsky

BY Kayla HigginsPublished Aug 16, 2022

Vancouver-based multi-visionary musician Ruby Singh has assembled a new musical supergroup to kick up some stardust. Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors have shared the details of their self-titled debut album and lifted first single "Dog Bone" and its accompanying animated music video in anticipation.

To be released independently on October 14, the LP will feature the talents of Khari Wendell McClelland, Holly Eccleston, Gord Grdina, Kenton Loewen, Peter Schmitt, Paul Finlay, Chin Injeti and John Raham, with recording and mixing done by Raham at AfterLife Studios on the lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh Nations.

According to press materials, tales of home and wandering, love and longing, justice and hope envelop the album, weaving together inspiration from the Delta Blues and Qawaali. The Future Ancestors aim to heal, guide and inspire — from celestial to terrestrial; known and unknown; seen and unseen.

"Dog Bone" is an explosive, primal-adjacent plea, fierce demands for justice and liberation bouncing atop an infectious psychedelic groove. The Flavourcel Collective-directed music video follows three dogs as they lay chase to their oppressors, ripping apart the confines placed upon them. 

Inspiration for the single struck Singh when observing a pack of street dogs in Delhi. "I was struck by their resilience and their passion for remaining wild amidst their life in the city," he said in a statement. "Watching how they stuck up for each other and how they ran the neighbourhoods they rolled through got me into writing some raps and the song was born."

Singh continued:

This album has been brewing for some time, making sure we added all the right ingredients as needed. For the better part of a decade, I've been writing these songs on napkins, in voice memos and on anything that could record or I could scribble on. Early in the process, I brought in the talented Holly Eccleston and Khari Wendell McClelland to jam out the ideas and there was some serious chemistry bouncing between us in my small home studio. I knew I had to take my time to get the sound right and it's a dream to have these incredible artists all contribute their talents to this album.

Listen to "Dog Bone" below, where you'll also find the album's tracklisting.


Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors:

1. Shine
2. Coming Home
3. Big Ol' Bang
4. You Don't Even Know
5. Dog Bone
6. Careful
7. Baby Don't Play
8. Echoes

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