Exclusive: MF Ruckus Video for “Be Cool” is a Warning Against Taking the Party Too Far

If you’ve ever watched someone reach for that one drink that you know will push them right over the edge into a bad time, you’ll immediately relate to MF Ruckus’ new video, “Be Cool.” The new track is the hard rockers’ first single off their forthcoming studio effort, The Front Lines of Good Times Vol. I.

At first blush, MF Ruckus looks like a herky-jerky version of Clutch that decided to drink more beer and smoke more weed, yet still play a faster variant of hard rock. But looking at the band’s backlog of songs, it’s obvious they’re more than that, since they’re able to swing from hard rock to country and back at the drop of a hat.

What we get with “Be Cool” is a sub-three minute track that just hits the ground running. The Denver, Colorado quartet rips through the song with purpose, at times straddling the line between the speed of thrash and the heavily distorted sound of modern hard rock. And it’s gotta be said that the bass tone on this song is a thick boi, which is a welcome inclusion on the track.

Even though the video follows the drug-addled insanity of a man who’s just taken a hit from a formaldehyde-soaked joint, MF Ruckus frontman Aaron Howell said the the song was a message of unity and call to “agree to disagree” even when it seems hard to do these days.

“The song is a call for people to treat each other right and seek common humanity rather than get mired in the details. I’m a major proponent of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement. So it’s less about a specific political/ideological perspective than it is about saying ‘It’s OK. Whatever we have to work through, we can figure it out together. In the meantime, let’s make an effort to be aware of our inherent, universal flaws and be good to each other.’”

The Front Lines of Good Times Vol. I is coming next year via Glory or Death Records.