Writer-musician Aldus Santos begins a new musical chapter with St. Ruin, releasing the project’s debut single, “Uncool,” today, August 14, via Lilystars Records. The track is now available on major digital streaming platforms.
Best known for his work with aughts-era group The Purplechickens and neo-folk act Pamphleteer, Santos has also established himself as a music journalist and writer, contributing to Rappler, NME, Billboard, and Rolling Stone.
His literary work includes Alternate Endings, a collection of concert reportage published by Offshore Music in 2020, and The Demo Versions, a criticism-autobiography crossover released by Everything’s Fine in 2022. He also co-wrote Eraserheads: Combo on the Run, the documentary about the iconic band’s much-anticipated 2022 reunion show, which began streaming on Netflix in May.
A Song About Grief and Loss
Santos describes “Uncool” as a love letter to the departed, with its lyrics moving between what he calls a “pretend present,” a “protracted past,” and a “poignant future.”
The song carries deeply personal meaning for the artist, who wrote it for his only brother, who died of cancer in 2023.
Santos handles vocals, guitar, and harmonica on the track, joined by bassist Yan Bagay Cruz, known for his work with Bayang Barrios, Joey Ayala, and Abby Clutario, and drummer Dave Cruz of Blind Stereo Moon. Electronic artist-producer kvtvlv contributes synth and sound design, adding a cinematic quality to the song’s melancholic atmosphere.
St. Ruin’s First Chapter
“Uncool” serves as the first advance single from the forthcoming EP A Cocktail Called Last Word, which Santos describes as “a grief journal in audio.” The EP is slated for release in October and marks his first recorded output since Pamphleteer’s double-A-side Two Novellas in 2022.
The St. Ruin project also marks Santos’ first release under the Lilystars Records banner.
Reflecting on returning to music and launching a new musical identity in his 40s, Santos says the process feels less unusual than one might expect.
As he puts it, “A poet doesn’t stop hurting past a certain age.”
